Anti-Radiation Drug Research Laboratory, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China.
School of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 0710021, China.
Toxicology. 2023 Mar 1;486:153449. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2023.153449. Epub 2023 Feb 2.
Radon (Rn) is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. Forty percent of the natural radiation to which the human body is exposed comes from radon gas. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of radon induces systemic damage. However, the effect of such exposure on gut microbiota still remains unclear. We explored the effects of radon exposure on gut microbiota and its metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in BALB/c mice by cumulative inhalation of radon at 30, 60, and 120 working level months (WLM). The radon-exposed mice showed slow body weight gain, decreased serum triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins, decreased diversity, lower community structure, and altered abundance of the gut microbiota. Lachnospiraceae, Amaricoccus, and Enterococcus could differentiate the IR30, 60, and 120 WLM groups, respectively. Meanwhile, radon exposure affected the metabolic functions of the gut microbiota, mainly carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolic pathways. The altered abundance of microbiota and resulting reduced levels of SCFAs may aggravate the damage caused by radon exposure.
氡（Rn）是一种天然存在的放射性气体。人体所接触到的天然辐射的 40%来自氡气。长期暴露于高浓度的氡气会导致全身损伤。然而，这种暴露对肠道微生物群的影响尚不清楚。我们通过让 BALB/c 小鼠累计吸入 30、60 和 120 个工作水平月（WLM）的氡气，来研究氡气暴露对肠道微生物群及其代谢物短链脂肪酸（SCFAs）的影响。结果显示，氡暴露的小鼠体重增长缓慢，血清甘油三酯和低密度脂蛋白降低，肠道微生物群的多样性、群落结构降低，丰度发生改变。lachnospiraceae、amaricoccus 和 enterococcus 可分别区分 IR30、60 和 120WLM 组。同时，氡暴露还影响了肠道微生物群的代谢功能，主要是碳水化合物、氨基酸和脂质代谢途径。微生物群的丰度改变和由此导致的 SCFAs 水平降低可能会加重氡暴露造成的损伤。
