| Zhang Yujing,Wang Lin,Zhang Jiaqi,et al.FLASH effect after abdominal X-ray irradiation in mice and its relationship with gut microbiota[J].Chinese Journal of Radiological Medicine and Protection,2026,46(4):352-358 |
| FLASH effect after abdominal X-ray irradiation in mice and its relationship with gut microbiota |
| Received:October 10, 2025 |
| DOI：10.3760/cma.j.cn112271-20251010-00357 |
| KeyWords:X-ray|FLASH effect|Gut microbiota |
| FundProject: |
| Author Name | Affiliation | E-mail | | Zhang Yujing | Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing 100853, China | | | Wang Lin | Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing 100853, China | | | Zhang Jiaqi | Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing 100853, China | | | Du Lehui | Department of Radiation Oncology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China | | | Qu Baolin | Department of Radiation Oncology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China | | | Peng Lihua | Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China | penglihua301@126.com |
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| Abstract:: |
| Objective To investigate the effects of ultra-high dose rate FLASH irradiation and conventional (CONV) irradiation using X-rays on the gastrointestinal tract and the relationship between these effects and gut microbiota. Methods A total of 113 C57BL/6J mice were completely randomized into a control group, a FLASH irradiation group (200 Gy/s), and a conventional irradiation group (4 Gy/min), which were termed the Sham, FLASH, and CONV groups and comprising 9, 52, and 52 mice, respectively. The three groups, except for the Sham group, received a single whole-abdomen irradiation at doses of 10, 15, 20 and 25 Gy, which were applied to 15, 15, 11, and 11 mice, respectively. Daily monitoring was conducted to record the overall conditions, body weight changes, and mortality of the mice. Furthermore, fresh stool samples were collected pre-irradiation and at 1, 3, 7, and 30 d post-irradiation. Subsequently, 16S rDNA sequencing was conducted for these samples to assess changes in gut microbiota and analyze the relationship between FLASH irradiation and gut microbiota. Results The mice receiving 20 and 25 Gy whole-abdomen irradiation all died within one week post-irradiation, whereas those receiving 10 Gy irradiation all survived. Under a dose of 15 Gy, the survival rates of the FLASH and CONV groups were determined at 77.78% and 55.56%, respectively (P > 0.05). The CONV group displayed a lower Shannon index at 30 d after 15 Gy irradiation than the Shannon index of the Sham group (q = 5.16, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the Chao index at 7 d after 10 Gy of irradiation and the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) result at 30 d after 10 Gy of irradiation of the CONV group showed statistically significant differences with the Chao index and PCoA result of the Sham group, respectively (q = 3.81, R = 0.45, P ＜ 0.05). In contrast, the three metrics of the FLASH group showed no significant differences with those of the Sham group (P > 0.05). Following 10 Gy irradiation, the FLASH group exhibited faster recovery rates of the Chao index and microbial dysbiosis index (MDI) (q = 3.81, 4.06, P ＜ 0.05), along with smaller fluctuations in the number of gut bacterial species, compared to the CONV group. Notably, the abundances of Lactobacillus and Akkermansia were intimately associated with both the irradiation method and post-irradiation time. Conclusions Compared to conventional irradiation, FLASH irradiation can induce reduced damage to intestinal tissue and produce less impact on gut microbiota. The abundances of bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Akkermansia may be associated with the FLASH effect. |
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