Radioprotective potential of histamine on rat small intestine and uterus.

E CARABAJAL; N MASSARI; M CROCI; D MARTINEL LAMAS; JP PRESTIFILIPPO; P CIRAOLO; RM BERGOC; ES RIVERA; VA MEDINA

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HISTOCHEMISTRY

SOC ITALIANA ISTOCHIMICA

Lugar: Pavia; Año: 2012 vol. 56 p. 302 - 310

1121-760X

AIM: To improve our knowledge about histamine radioprotective potential investigating its effect on reducing ionising radiation-induced injury and genotoxic damage on the rat small intestine and uterus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were divided into 4 groups. Histamine and histamine-5Gy groups received a daily subcutaneous histamine injection (0.1 mg/kg) starting 24 hours before irradiation. Histamine-5Gy and untreated-5Gy groups were irradiated with a dose of whole-body Cesium-137 irradiation. Three days post irradiation animals were sacrificed and tissues were removed, fixed, stained with haematoxylin and eosin and histological characteristics were evaluated. Proliferation, apoptosis and oxidative DNA markers were studied by immunohistochemistry, while micronucleus assay was performed to evaluate chromosomal damage. RESULTS: Histamine treatment reduced radiation-induced mucosal atrophy, oedema and vascular damage produced by ionising radiation, increasing the number of crypts per circumference (239 ± 12 vs. 160 ± 10, P