Could a Vegetable Compound Shield Lethal Dose of Radiation in Mice?

Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center have found a compound derived from cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli that's protected by rats and mice from lethal doses of radiation.

The compound, also known as DIM (3,3'-dlindolymethane), previously has been found to contain cancer preventive properties.

"DIM has been studied as a cancer prevention agent for years, but this is the first indication that DIM can also act as a radiation protector," said the study's corresponding author, Eliot Rosen, MD, PhD, of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, via a press release.

For the study, researchers irradiated rates with lethal doses of gamma ray radiation. The animals received a daily injection of DIM for two weeks that started 10 minutes after the radiation exposure, according to background information from the study.

Results showed, according to Rosen, a professor of oncology, biochemistry and cell & molecular biology, and radiation medicine that "All of the untreated rats died, but well over half of the DIM-treated animals remained alive 30 days after the radiation exposure."

He also adds that DIM provided protection via the first injection that was administered 24 hours before or up to 24 hours after radiation exposure.

"We also showed that DIM protects the survival of lethally irradiated mice," Rosen said, via the release. In addition, irradiated mice treated with DIM had less reduction in red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets - side effects often seen in patients undergoing radiation treatment for cancer.

"DIM could protect normal tissues in patients receiving radiation therapy for cancer, but could also protect individuals from the lethal consequences of a nuclear disaster."

More information regarding the study can be found via the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).