radioprotective effect of ferula asafoetida oleo-gum resin on ionizing radiation–induced oxidative stress and tissue damage in rats

Introduction: protective agents against harmful radiation have been studied for decades. antioxidants can protect normal tissues by scavenging free radicals generated during irradiation. ferula asafoetida (as), a medicinal plant with antioxidant activity, was evaluated in this study for its protective effect against radiation-induced small intestinal injury in rats.material and methods: thirty-five wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=7): control, irradiated (r), irradiated+as (r+as), irradiated+vitamin e (r+e), and irradiated+as+e (r+as+e). treatments included as (100 mg/kg) and/or vitamin e (20 mg/kg) daily for eight days. on day six, irradiated groups received 6 gy x-rays (6 mv, elekta, stockholm, sweden). on day eight, rats were euthanized and intestine and liver tissues collected. histopathology, malondialdehyde (mda), and glutathione (gsh) levels were analyzed.results: as significantly reduced mda and increased gsh levels in both intestine and liver. vitamin e showed weaker effects. the combination of as and vitamin e did not consistently enhance as activity. histological analysis revealed that as reduced inflammation and atrophy, while vitamin e alone or combined with as lowered inflammation and epithelial erosion. neither treatment increased mucous cell counts.conclusion: as exerted notable antioxidant and radioprotective effects against intestinal damage in rats, indicating its potential as a natural agent for mitigating radiation-induced injury.