Radioprotective Effect of Apigenin on the Submandibular Gland of Irradiated Rats

<strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to investigate the radioprotective effects of apigenin on the submandibular gland of rats in this study. <strong>Material and Methods: </strong>Four experimental groups were composed of 10 rats in each group. Rats in Group 1 were administered radiotherapy solely and administered no drug. Apigenin dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at a dose of 25 mg/kg 48 h before radiotherapy administration to Group 2. In Group 3, only 1.66 ml/kg of DMSO was given intraperitoneally. Group 4 did not receive radiotherapy, and apigenin dissolved in DMSO was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 25 mg/kg. Intraperitoneal drug admin istrations were performed simultaneously in all groups, and all rats were sacrificed 48 h after radiotherapy administration. Existence of necrosis, acinar damage, ductal damage, vacuolisation, and TNFα expression were scored as 0,1,2,3. <strong>Results:</strong> As a result of the statistical analyses, it was observed that Group 2 was significantly protected compared to Group 1 in terms of necrosis, acinar damage and vacuolisation (p values: 0.004, 0.003, 0.001, respectively). Similarly, TNFα expression was also significantly decreased (p&lt;0.001). In comparisons between Groups 1 and 3, there was no significant difference in terms of necrosis and acinar damage (p values: 0.328, 0.325, respectively), while the difference between the two groups was significant in terms of vacuolisation and TNFα expression (p values: 0.005, 0.02, respectively). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Apigenin was found to be an effective radioprotectant agent in terms of preventing necrosis, acinar damage and vacuolisation, histopathologically. It has been shown that apigeninDMSO solution decreases TNFα levels, immunohistochemically.