Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling Pathway

Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is a significant concern for cancer patients receiving radiation therapy, as it can lead to complications such as radiation enteropathy. Presently, there are limited options for preventing or treating RIII. Tea polyphenols (TP), found in tea, provide variou...

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Main Authors: Runtian Li, Lintao Li, Haiyang Wu, Hui Gan, Zhuona Wu, Ruolan Gu, Xiaoxia Zhu, Shuchen Liu, Zhiyun Meng, Guifang Dou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Antioxidants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/5/580
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author Runtian Li
Lintao Li
Haiyang Wu
Hui Gan
Zhuona Wu
Ruolan Gu
Xiaoxia Zhu
Shuchen Liu
Zhiyun Meng
Guifang Dou
author_facet Runtian Li
Lintao Li
Haiyang Wu
Hui Gan
Zhuona Wu
Ruolan Gu
Xiaoxia Zhu
Shuchen Liu
Zhiyun Meng
Guifang Dou
author_sort Runtian Li
collection DOAJ
description Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is a significant concern for cancer patients receiving radiation therapy, as it can lead to complications such as radiation enteropathy. Presently, there are limited options for preventing or treating RIII. Tea polyphenols (TP), found in tea, provide various health benefits, but their antiradiation mechanisms are not fully understood. C57BL/6 mice pre-treated with TP for five days showed a significant improvement in survival rates after being exposed to 10 Gy of <sup>60</sup>Co radiation. In the same way, abdominal exposure to 15 Gy of <sup>60</sup>Co radiation effectively mitigated radiation-induced colon shortening, damage to intestinal tissues, oxidative stress, the release of inflammatory factors, and disruptions in intestinal microbial balance. In addition, TP treatment lowered the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), iron imbalance, mitochondrial damage, and ferroptosis in IEC-6 cells post-irradiation. Utilizing network pharmacology, molecular docking, and affinity testing, we identified that TP has the capability to target the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 signaling pathway, while EGCG, a principal constituent of TP, interacts with HSP90 and mitigates radiation-induced ferroptosis. These findings suggest that TP may serve as a promising therapeutic agent to alleviate radiation-induced intestinal injury (RII).
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spelling doaj-art-fbf938eb5d4b4c6faab8bc3edd3d9c822025-08-20T03:14:39ZengMDPI AGAntioxidants2076-39212025-05-0114558010.3390/antiox14050580Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling PathwayRuntian Li0Lintao Li1Haiyang Wu2Hui Gan3Zhuona Wu4Ruolan Gu5Xiaoxia Zhu6Shuchen Liu7Zhiyun Meng8Guifang Dou9Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaSchool of Public Health, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaBeijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, ChinaRadiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is a significant concern for cancer patients receiving radiation therapy, as it can lead to complications such as radiation enteropathy. Presently, there are limited options for preventing or treating RIII. Tea polyphenols (TP), found in tea, provide various health benefits, but their antiradiation mechanisms are not fully understood. C57BL/6 mice pre-treated with TP for five days showed a significant improvement in survival rates after being exposed to 10 Gy of <sup>60</sup>Co radiation. In the same way, abdominal exposure to 15 Gy of <sup>60</sup>Co radiation effectively mitigated radiation-induced colon shortening, damage to intestinal tissues, oxidative stress, the release of inflammatory factors, and disruptions in intestinal microbial balance. In addition, TP treatment lowered the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), iron imbalance, mitochondrial damage, and ferroptosis in IEC-6 cells post-irradiation. Utilizing network pharmacology, molecular docking, and affinity testing, we identified that TP has the capability to target the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 signaling pathway, while EGCG, a principal constituent of TP, interacts with HSP90 and mitigates radiation-induced ferroptosis. These findings suggest that TP may serve as a promising therapeutic agent to alleviate radiation-induced intestinal injury (RII).https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/5/580radiation-induced intestinal injurytea polyphenolferroptosisHSP90gut microbiotametabolites
spellingShingle Runtian Li
Lintao Li
Haiyang Wu
Hui Gan
Zhuona Wu
Ruolan Gu
Xiaoxia Zhu
Shuchen Liu
Zhiyun Meng
Guifang Dou
Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling Pathway
Antioxidants
radiation-induced intestinal injury
tea polyphenol
ferroptosis
HSP90
gut microbiota
metabolites
title Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling Pathway
title_full Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling Pathway
title_fullStr Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling Pathway
title_full_unstemmed Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling Pathway
title_short Tea Polyphenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis and Intestinal Injury by Targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 Signaling Pathway
title_sort tea polyphenols mitigate radiation induced ferroptosis and intestinal injury by targeting the nrf2 ho 1 gpx4 signaling pathway
topic radiation-induced intestinal injury
tea polyphenol
ferroptosis
HSP90
gut microbiota
metabolites
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/5/580
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