The Effect of Propolis on Oxidative Damage Induced by Whole Body Irradiation in Rats

The antioxidant and radioprotective effects of propolis against ionizing radiation induced oxidative damage were investigated. twenty one rats were divided in to 3 groups; 1st group was the control group; 2nd group was the irradiation group, physiological saline (i.p.)/ 3 days + 9 gy gamma irradiation; 3rd group was irradiation + propolis group, propolis (i.p. 100 mg / kg bw) / 3 days + 9 gy gamma irradiation. as a result of irradiation, a significant increase was determined in malondialdehyde (mda) levels of liver, kidney, and brain tissues of the rats (p<0.001). there was a significant decrease in glutathione peroxidase (gsh-px) activity of all the tissues (p˂0.001) and superoxide dismutase (sod) activity and glutathione (gsh) level in the liver (p˂0.01). also, gsh level increased significantly in the kidney (p˂0.001) and ovarium tissues (p˂0.05). the mda levels that increased in the liver as a result of irradiation, decreased significantly due the addition of propolis (p˂0.001); whereas, the mda levels that increased in kidney and brain did not change. in the spleen and ovarium tissues, mda levels decreased significantly as a result of addition of propolis compared to the irradiation group (p˂0.05). it was determined that gsh levels, that decreased in the liver (p˂0.01), and increased in the kidney due to addition of propolis, and gsh levels, that decreased in the liver as a result of irradiation (p˂0.01) and increased in the kidney (p˂0.001), approached to the normal level (p˂0.001) and the gsh levels in the spleen and brain increased compared to both the control and irradiation groups (p˂0.05). the addition of propolis caused a decrease in the gsh-px activities of heart, spleen, brain, and ovarium tissues compared to both the control and irradiation groups (p˂0.001). also, a decrease in the sod activity of heart tissue compared to the control group was found (p˂0.05).