Evaluation of the radioprotective properties of recombinant flagellin when used alone or in combination with interleukin-1 beta

Research objective. To evaluate the radioprotective effectiveness of recombinant flagellin when used alone or in combination with interleukin-1 beta for prophylactic or therapeutic effect on animals. Materials and methods. The effect of hybrid flagellin FliC Salmonella typhimurium and human interleukin-1β (Institute of Highly Pure Biopreparations, Saint Petersburg, Russia) on the 30-day survival of male mice exposed to lethal doses of X-ray radiation was studied. Survival of irradiated animals was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. Results. The preventive use of flagellin had a protective effect on the 30-day survival of mice irradiated with lethal doses of X-rays. Compared with the irradiated control, the administration of flagellin (1 mg/kg or 2 mg/kg) prior to X-ray exposure (7.5 Gy, 8.0 Gy or 8.5 Gy) increased the animal survival rate to 67-87%. Complex preventive administration of flagellin (1 mg/kg) and interleukin-1 beta (50 μg/kg) provided a 100% survival rate of the irradiated mice. Separate use of drugs was also effective; 92.8% of mice survived when flagellin was administered prior to irradiation and interleukin after. Conclusion. Recombinant flagellin is a promising candidate product for designing new generation of domestic radiation countermeasures, including combinations with interleukin-1 beta.