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. 2020 Jul 3;11(4):789-806.
doi: 10.1080/19490976.2019.1709387. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

Gut commensal derived-valeric acid protects against radiation injuries

Yuan Li  1 , Jiali Dong  1 , Huiwen Xiao  1 , Shuqin Zhang  1 , Bin Wang  1 , Ming Cui  1 , Saijun Fan  1
Affiliations

Gut commensal derived-valeric acid protects against radiation injuries

Yuan Li et al. Gut Microbes. .

Abstract

Background: Hematopoietic and intestinal systems side effects are frequently found in patients who suffered from accidental or medical radiation exposure. In this case, we investigated the effects of gut microbiota produced-valeric acid (VA) on radiation-induced injuries.

Methods: Mice were exposed to total body irradiation (TBI) or total abdominal irradiation (TAI) to mimic accidental or clinical scenarios. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed to assess short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in fecal pellets. Oral gavage with VA was used to mitigate radiation-induced toxicity. Gross examination was performed to assess tissue injuries of thymus, spleen and small intestine. High-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the gut microbiota profile. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) were performed to analyze the difference of protein profile. Hydrodynamic-based gene delivery assay was performed to silence KRT1 in vivo.

Results: VA exerted the most significant radioprotection among the SCFAs. In detail, VA replenishment elevated the survival rate of irradiated mice, protected hematogenic organs, improved gastrointestinal (GI) tract function and intestinal epithelial integrity in irradiated mice. High-throughput sequencing and iTRAQ showed that oral gavage of VA restored the enteric bacteria taxonomic proportions, reprogrammed the small intestinal protein profile of mice following TAI exposure. Importantly, keratin 1 (KRT1) played a pivotal role in the radioprotection of VA.

Conclusions: Our findings provide new insights into gut microbiota-produced VA and underpin that VA might be employed as a therapeutic option to mitigate radiation injury in pre-clinical settings.

Keywords: KRT1; Valeric acid; intestinal microbiota; radiation injury.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Gavage of VA protects against radiation-induced death and hematopoietic toxicity.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
VA ameliorates GI tract injury and inflammation after TAI.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Oral gavage with VA retains the intestinal bacterial composition pattern impaired by TAI.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
VA reprograms protein expression perturbed by TAI.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
VA protects against radiation injury involving KRT1.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
VA ameliorates GI tract injury and inflammation of irradiated-female mice.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
VA treatment protects mice from developing DSS-induced colitis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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