Protective Effect of Vinegar Powder on 60Coγ Radiation-Injured Mice and Its Potential Mechanism.

Background: Ionizing radiation induces significant oxidative stress, immune dysregulation, and cellular injury. Conventional chemical radioprotectants usually exhibit considerable toxicity and undesirable side effects, thereby restricting their applicability for prolonged administration.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the radioprotective efficacy of vinegar powder (VP), a natural and nontoxic agent with potential for long-term administration.

Methods: Male Kunming mice were randomly allocated into 6 groups and orally administered saline, leucogen (12 mg/kg), and VP at doses of 1.35, 2.7, or 5.4 g/kg for 30 consecutive days. Except for the control group, all mice were subjected to 6 Gy of ⁶⁰Coγ-irradiation to establish a radiation injury model.

Results: Compared with the irradiated model group, VP treatment significantly increased white blood cell count by 36.69% and bone marrow DNA content by 27.65%, demonstrating potent radioprotective effects. VP also effectively restored radiation-induced depletion of reduced glutathione and suppressed malondialdehyde accumulation. Histopathological analysis of the spleen and liver revealed that VP administration substantially preserved tissue architecture compared with the radiation-damaged model group. Furthermore, network pharmacology and molecular validation were employed to elucidate the radioprotective mechanisms of VP. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that VP primarily modulated the apoptosis and NF-κB (p65) signaling pathways, targeting key molecules including RELA, Bcl-2, IKBKB, PARP1, XIAP, and CFLAR. Western blot analysis confirmed that VP alleviated radiation-induced oxidative damage by suppressing NF-κB (p65) and Bax expression while upregulating Bcl-2.

Conclusions: Collectively, VP effectively ameliorated radiation-induced oxidative stress, hematopoietic dysfunction, and tissue damage in mice, highlighting its promise as a novel, naturally derived radioprotective agent.