Abstract
Some gastrointestinal bacteria, otherwise known as the ‘intestinal flora’, can cause severe gastrointestinal problems, including sepsis, which are strongly linked to lifestyle-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Several investigations have focused on the long-term changes in the intestinal flora associated with radiation exposure; however, the short-term effects remain unknown. In this study, we tracked the short-term changes in the intestinal flora of mice exposed to different doses of X-ray irradiation (2 Gy and 4 Gy), focusing only on the lactic acid bacteria Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. A decrease in the Lactobacillus abundance was detected immediately after irradiation in individuals exposed to both 2 Gy and 4 Gy irradiation. However, mice exposed to 4 Gy of irradiation showed a remarkable increase in Bifidobacterium, indicating a potential role of these bacteria in regeneration of the intestinal epithelial tissue. Studies on changes in intestinal bacteria as a result of radiation exposure are limited. Therefore, continuation of this field of research is expected to provide important fundamental insight into the mechanisms by which radiation causes damage to the intestinal tissues, contributing to the development of sepsis.
Highlights
The human mucosa occupies a substantial portion of the body surface area, including the oral cavity, nasal cavity, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory organs, and genital organs, accounting for an area more than 200 times that of the skin surface
These findings indicate that radiation destroys the balance of the intestinal bacterial flora
The two bacterial genera targeted in this study, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, are known to exhibit various probiotic effects, and have been adopted in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in clinical practice as probiotics [13, 14]
Summary
The human mucosa occupies a substantial portion of the body surface area, including the oral cavity, nasal cavity, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory organs, and genital organs, accounting for an area more than 200 times that of the skin surface. The intestinal tract, rich in epithelial stem cells, shows high radiosensitivity, and the consequent collapse of the intestinal barrier leads to dissolution of body fluids containing electrolytes, along with infiltration of intestinal bacteria into the blood circulation [7] Such transmigration of intestinal bacteria to the blood is referred to as bacteremia, which can progress into severe sepsis, leading to systemic symptoms such as multiple organ failure and death. The intestinal bacterial flora has been found to become dominated by Bacteroides spp. in patients receiving pelvic irradiation treatment, regardless of the presence or absence of diarrhea [9] These findings indicate that radiation destroys the balance of the intestinal bacterial flora. One strategy to improve the symptoms induced by such intestinal injury is to restore the balance of
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