Natural Radioprotective Agents: Research Progress, Challenges and Future Prospects

Radiation technology is widely utilized in the industrial, medical, and military fields. However, high-dose radiation causes significant harm to the human body. Ionizing radiation can alter various epigenetic modifications in animal tissues, thereby influencing phenotypic outcomes, and these effects are transmitted inter- and trans-generationally, making radiation protection particularly important. The development of radioprotective agents represents a major research direction in the field of radiation protection, with natural radioprotective agents offering advantages such as prolonged efficacy and favorable safety profiles. Conventional natural radioprotective agents include polyphenols, polysaccharides, alkaloids, and saponins. In recent years, novel categories have also been identified or developed, such as food-derived exosome-like vesicles, nanotechnology-enabled formulations, and radiation-induced microorganisms. Although some natural radioprotective agents have been successfully applied in the health food industry, their broader development faces several challenges, including incompletely elucidated mechanisms of action, low screening efficiency, high production costs, low bioavailability, and insufficient stability. Future research should address these limitations through three key areas: clarifying the mechanisms underlying radioprotective effects, efficiently screening for functional ingredients, and developing effective delivery systems for active components. Integrated multi-omics approaches, such as transcriptomics, metabolomics and epigenomics, coupled with artificial intelligence are expected to elucidate the mechanisms of action of natural radioprotective agents and enhance the efficiency of screening for functional radioprotective ingredients. Furthermore, biotechnological tools including enzyme engineering, fermentation engineering and synthetic biology enable efficient production of these functional ingredients. Concurrently, natural product-derived formulations, particularly environmentally responsive delivery systems, exhibit improved bioavailability and stability. Additionally, the application scope of natural radioprotective agents across different categories of radiation protection should be expanded. By establishing efficient screening, production, and delivery systems for natural radioprotective agents, their in-depth development and broad application can be promoted.