Treatment of mice with leaf extract of Jamun (Syzygium Cumini Linn. Skeels) protects against the radiation-induced damage in the intestinal mucosa of mice exposed to different doses of γ-radiation

Effect of 50 mg/kg body weight of leaf extract of jamun (Syzygium Cumini Linn. Skeels) was studied on the radiation-induced changes in the jejunum of mice exposed to 7, 10 or 15 Gy γ-radiation on day 1, 3 and 7 days post-irradiation. Histological examination of mouse jejunum on day 1, 3 or 7 revealed a dose dependent increase in the radiation-induced damage after exposure to 7, 10 or 15 Gy. Irradiation of mice to different doses of γ-radiation caused a significant reduction in the villus height and number of crypts per circumference accompanied by an increase in goblet and dead cells. The maximum lesions were observed on day 1 post-irradiation indicating a severe intestinal damage however, the signs of recovery were discernible at day 7 post-irradiation, where the radiation-induced lesions were lesser than day 1 post-irradiation. Treatment of mice with jamun extract before irradiation had a conducive effect as it elevated the villus height and the number of crypts and also reduced the goblet and dead cells when compared with the irradiation control. The recovery and regeneration was faster in jamun pretreated animals than the irradiation alone. The greatest damage was observed in the animals exposed to 15 Gy, where animals did not survive up to 7 days post-irradiation, whereas jamun pretreatment caused early recovery and reduced the symptoms of radiation-induced damage even at 3 days post-irradiation. Our study demonstrates that jamun extract protects the radiation-induced damage in the small intestine of mice and may be a useful to protect against the radiation-induced gastrointestinal damage.