PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF Β-CAROTENE ON GAMMA RADIATION- INDUCED RENAL HISTOLOGICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES IN MALE ALBINO RATS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Atomic Energy Authority (AEA), Cairo, Egypt

2 Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

3 National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Atomic Energy Authority (AEA), Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

The present work was conducted to investigate the histological and ultra-structural changes in the kidney tissues of male albino rats due to the exposure of gamma-radiation and to investigate tissue-protection from the damaging effects of gamma-radiation using a natural product namely, Beta-carotene.
The histological studies revealed progressive pathological lesions in the kidney of whole body γ-irradiated rats; as represented by severe damage in glomerular tuft and increase in masengal cells with wide Bowman's space and sever hemorrhagic areas between degenerated renal tissue, andrenal tubules exhibited various degrees of degeneration. The ultra-structural studies revealed that epithelial cells lining the proximal and distal convoluted tubules exhibited an increase in the swelling mitochondria, dilation in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and electron dense in the nuclear chromatin. Thickness in basement membrane, dilation of infolded, and damage of brush border of the proximal tubules were also observed. The treatment with β-carotene pre-exposure to gamma radiation attenuated most of these changes. Therefore, the present study has implication for the potential use of β-carotene as a radioprotector.

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