Abernathy, Lisa M.Fountain, Matthew D.Joiner, Michael C.Hillman, Gilda G.2017-07-072017-07-072017-01-23Abernathy, L. M., Fountain, M. D., Joiner, M. C., & Hillman, G. G. (2017). Innate Immune Pathways Associated with Lung Radioprotection by Soy Isoflavones. Frontiers in Oncology, 7, 7. http://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2017.00007https://hdl.handle.net/1805/13349INTRODUCTION: Radiation therapy for lung cancer causes pneumonitis and fibrosis. Soy isoflavones protect against radiation-induced lung injury, but the mediators of radioprotection remain unclear. We investigated the effect of radiation on myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the lung and their modulation by soy isoflavones for a potential role in protection from radiation-induced lung injury. METHODS: BALB/c mice (5-6 weeks old) received a single 10 Gy dose of thoracic irradiation and soy isoflavones were orally administrated daily before and after radiation at 1 mg/day. Arginase-1 (Arg-1) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 were detected in lung tissue by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Lung MDSC subsets and their Arg-1 expression were analyzed by flow cytometry. Cytokine levels in the lungs were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: At 1 week after radiation, CD11b+ cells expressing Arg-1 were decreased by radiation in lung tissue yet maintained in the lungs treated with radiation and soy isoflavones. Arg-1 was predominantly expressed by CD11b+Ly6ClowLy6G+ granulocytic MDSCs (gr-MDSCs). Arg-1 expression in gr-MDSCs was reduced by radiation and preserved by supplementation with soy isoflavones. A persistent increase in Arg-1+ cells was observed in lung tissue treated with combined radiation and soy isoflavones at early and late time points, compared to radiation alone. The increase in Arg-1 expression mediated by soy isoflavones could be associated with the inhibition of radiation-induced activation of NF-κB and the control of pro-inflammatory cytokine production demonstrated in this study. CONCLUSION: A radioprotective mechanism of soy isoflavones may involve the promotion of Arg-1-expressing gr-MDSCs that could play a role in downregulation of inflammation and lung radioprotection.en-USAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesRadiationSoy isoflavonesLung inflammationMDSCsArginase-1Article