The Protective Potency of Medemia argun (an Egyptian palm) Against Oxidative Stress and Tissue Injury Induced by Gamma Radiation in Rats

Aim: 
Radiation affects all biological processes in the human body. Medemia argun(an Egyptian palm) is a mysterious plant from southern Egypt. In ancient Egypt, MA dried dates have been found in the famed tomb of Tutankhamun. Globally, this is the first study to look at the metabolomics and biological efficiency of Medemia argun(MA) in mitigating the risks of γ-irradiation.
Materials and Methods: 
Rats were subjected to a single dose of γ-irradiation (6 Gy) for the whole body and injected intraperitoneally with or without MA ethanolic seed extract (200 mg/kg b. wt.). We studied the LD₅₀ of MA ethanolic seed extract in vivo using male rats, liver function, antioxidant enzymes, inflammatory biomarkers, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO) to assess the biological functions and beneficial effects of the MA seed's ethanolic extract in reducing the γ-irradiation risks in rats. Also, DNA fragmentation was investigated via a Comet assay. Histopathological examinations were also performed. In addition, phytochemical analysis for MA was conducted.
Results: 
The obtained results showed that 200 mg/kg b. wt. of MA ethanolic seed's extract is the recommended dose. γ-radiation increased DNA fragmentation, NO, MDA, inflammatory biomarkers, and liver function. Furthermore, there is a significant decrease in antioxidant enzymes, T. protein, and albumin. Conversely, MA (200 mg/kg b. wt.) treatment for 6 weeks effectively reflects most of the altered measurements induced by γ-radiation. Furthermore, histopathological examinations revealed that γ-radiation causes significant deleterious changes in the structure of liver tissue, whereas MA treatment preserves the cellular structure of the liver without the appearance of any changes.
Conclusions: 
Our results showed that MA can be used as a healthy food during radiotherapy as a natural therapeutic drug due to its valuable nutritional benefits, safe nature, and low cost.