Cerium oxide nanoparticles display antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects on gamma irradiation‐induced hepatotoxicity.

Throughout radiotherapy, radiation of the hepatic tissue leads to damage of the hepatocytes. We designed the current study to examine how cerium oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) modulate gamma irradiation‐induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Animals received CONPs (15 mg/kg body weight [BW], ip) single daily dose for 14 days, and they were exposed on the seventh day to a single dose of gamma radiation (6 Gy). Results showed that irradiation increased serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase activities. Furthermore, it elevated oxidative stress biomarker; malondialdehyde (MDA) and inhibited the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) in hepatic tissues homogenate. Additionally, hepatic apoptotic markers; caspase‐3 (Casp‐3) and Casp‐9 were elevated and the B‐cell lymphoma‐2 (Bcl‐2) gene level was decreased in rats exposed to radiation dose. We observed that CONPs can modulate these changes, where CONPs reduced liver enzyme activities, MDA, and apoptotic markers levels, in addition, it elevated antioxidant enzyme activities and Bcl‐2 gene levels, as well as improved histopathological changes in the irradiated animals. So our results concluded that CONPs had the ability to act as radioprotector defense against hepatotoxicity resulted during radiotherapy. Significance statement: The present study concluded that CONPs represents a promising new nanoparticles with a great radioprotector efficacy to abolish oxidative stress and apoptosis caused by ionizing radiation (as indicated by reducing MDA, Casp‐3, and Casp‐9, and elevating antioxidants enzymes and Bcl‐2), and can effectively mitigate injuries to the hepatocellular tissues. In view of these results, we ended to: CONPs can be used in radiation protection in the clinical field but later studies on adequate doses, methods to deliver nanoparticles, and mechanism of action are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]