Dear Editors,
Radiation can result in DNA damage, excessive oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and impaired immune function,1 further leading to damage to different systems. For example, radiation exposure during Computed Tomography increases the risk of leukemia in children.2 In addition, radiation therapy is one of the common treatment methods for cancer patients. However, radiation during the treatment process may cause upper and lower gastrointestinal mucositis, which can seriously affect the effectiveness of tumor treatment.3 At present, antiradiation drugs on the market include amifostine, sargramostim, and potassium iodide. However, these chemically synthesized drugs have certain side effects, such as hypotension, nausea, and vomiting.4 Therefore, in recent years, natural compounds with lower toxicity have attracted much attention as potential therapeutic agents against radiation damage.5 Licochalcone B, the main active substance of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.), has a variety of biological activities and pharmacological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory properties.6 Therefore, Licochalcone B may be a potential therapeutic agent against radiation damage.
We recently read an article titled “Radioprotective Effects of Licochalcone B: DNA Protection, Cytokine Inhibition, and Antioxidant Boost” by Ren et al.7 The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Licochalcone B on radiation injury and to provide a theoretical basis for its application in the treatment of radiation injury. In addition, the authors revealed that Licochalcone B provides a degree of protection against radiation damage through a variety of pathways, such as reducing DNA damage, clearing reactive oxygen species, and inhibiting inflammatory responses. Ren et al.7 demonstrated for the first time the therapeutic potential of Licochalcone B as an anti-radiation damage drug. Their work provides a theoretical basis for the application of Licochalcone B in the treatment and prevention of radiation damage. Recently, studies have shown that natural compounds such as curcumin and resveratrol, which have antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties, can also prevent and treat radiation damage.3 Curcumin, a common phenolic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, can alleviate oral mucositis caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy by regulating reactive oxygen species to reduce oxidative stress and regulating nuclear factor kappa-B to reduce the inflammatory response.8 Resveratrol is also a natural polyphenolic compound that can alleviate radiation-induced skin DNA damage.9 Meanwhile, Epimedium and Lycium barbarum pills, which have similar biological activity, are also known to treat radiation-induced damage.10,11 Therefore, Ren et al.’s study also provides a basis for the development of other drugs with similar effects.7
Although Ren et al.7 investigated the mechanism of action of Licochalcone B for the prevention and treatment of radiation damage and examined the effect of a certain dose of Licochalcone B (40 mg/kg) on the survival of radiation-induced mice, they did not indicate whether this dose is safe to use. A recent study has shown that Licochalcone B is toxic to humans and rats 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 with half-maximal drug inhibitory concentration values of 31.85 µM and 56.56 µM, respectively.12 Therefore, in future studies, researchers need to further explore the safety of Licochalcone B.
At the same time, Ren et al.7 inflicted radiation damage on mice with a dose of 8 Gray (Gy) or a combined dose of 6 Gy + 8 Gy, though they did not explain why either dose was chosen. Additionally, they did not show the difference between the two radiation doses. Hosseinimehr et al.13 showed that 8.5 Gy gamma radiation is the lethal dose in mice. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the dose of radiation administered and its significance in future radiation damage studies.
In summary, this section discusses the potential of the natural compound Licochalcone B as an antiradiation therapeutic agent. The aim was to promote the development and application of Licochalcone B, a drug with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, in the field of radiation damage and to address the limitations of the current research process on Licochalcone B. While Licochalcone B shows promising potential as a radioprotectant, further research is necessary to establish its safety profile and therapeutic efficacy across various contexts. Looking ahead, researchers need to explore the therapeutic index of Licochalcone B, including its dose-dependent effects and comparisons with other natural radioprotective agents.
Declarations
Funding
This study was funded by the Yangtze University Science and Technology Aid to Tibet Medical Talent Training Program Project (2023YZ13 to XCP), the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students (202310489021 to XCP), the Graduate Innovation Fund of the Health Science Center, Yangtze University (202303 to XCP), and the Wujieping Medical Foundation - Digestive Tract Cancer Research Fund (320.6750.2024-10-3 to XCP).
Conflict of interest
XCP has been an editorial board member of Future Integrative Medicine since November 2021. The other authors have no conflicts of interest related to this publication.
Authors’ contributions
Study concept and design (JQW, XCP), funding acquisition (XCP), drafting of the manuscript (JQW, XCP), critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content (JQW, TTL, WXL, XCP), and study supervision (XCP). All authors have made significant contributions to this study and have approved the final manuscript.