Examine of the Potential Radiation Protection Ability of Amino Acid Betaine (N, N, N-Trimethyl Glycine) against the Cellular Harmful Effect of the Ionizing Radiation in Animal Experimental Models

The serious harmful effect of the ionizing radiation, leads the researchers to search for new effective substances with radiation protection activity. The damaging effect of the ionizing radiation exposure is one of the most dangerous professional circumstances for the pilots and astronauts. Have been found that normal cellular antioxidant metabolites, could be effective radioprotectors. The antioxidants’ potential to reduce the cellular damage in animal models have been studied for more than 50 years. In last decade a lot of normal cellular metabolites such as amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids, etc. were researched for potential antioxidant activity. The amino acids are highly active metabolites that participate in various anabolic and catabolic processes. The high metabolic activity determine their active role in neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS, free radicals) and accordingly high antioxidant activity. AIM: Follow up of the after-radiation exposure recovery and radiation protection activity of betaine (N, N, N-trimethyl glycine) applied to experimental animals (mice). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Have been used 120 experimental animals (white male mice C3H, with body weight 23 gr), supplied by the “Certified vivarium for experimental animals”, Military Medical Academy-Sofia. They were divided in four experimental groups. Two of the experimental groups were exposed to radiation by 137Cs-source with power 2,05 Gy/min (The Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics “Acad. D. Kostov”, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Sofia). The amino acid betaine has been applied peroral as a food supplement. For the purpose of the current study was controlled the following index: Cu/Zn SOD protein expression in three radiation sensitive organs (liver, spleen and testicles). The protein expression is confirmed by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The obtained results gave the opportunity to perform comparative analysis of protein expression of Cu/ZnSOD in three different organs (liver, spleen and testicles) and to confirm the positive radiation protection effect of the researched substance. CONCLUSION: Betaine (N,N,N-trimethyl glycine)showed positive effect to the survival rate in all examined experimental animals’ groups. The application of Betaine induced increase of the expression of Cu/Zn SOD protein in the researched experimental groups.