Abdominal radiation exposure elicits inflammatory responses and abscopal effects in the lungs of mice.
An inflammatory reaction is a classical feature of radiation exposure and appears to be a key event in the development of the acute radiation syndrome. We have investigated the radiation-induced inflammatory response in C57BL6/J mice after total abdominal or total-body irradiation at a dose of 15 Gy. Our goal was to determine the radiation-induced inflammatory response of the gut and to study the consequences of abdominal irradiation for the intestine and for the lungs as a distant organ. A comparison with total-body irradiation was used to take into account the hematopoietic response in the inflammatory process. For both irradiation regimens, systemic and intestinal responses were evaluated. A systemic inflammatory reaction was found after abdominal and total-body irradiation, concomitant with increased cytokine and chemokine production in the jejunum of irradiated mice. In the lungs, the radiation-induced changes in the production of cytokines and chemokines and in the expression of adhesion molecules after both abdominal and total-body irradiation indicate a possible abscopal effect of radiation in our model. The effects observed in the lungs after irradiation of the abdomino-pelvic region may be caused by circulating inflammatory mediators consequent to the gut inflammatory response.
Van der Meeren
A
A
Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Direction de la Radioprotection de l'Homme, Service de Radiobiologie et d'Epidémiologie, IRSN, F-92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses cedex, France.
Monti
P
P
Vandamme
M
M
Squiban
C
C
Wysocki
J
J
Griffiths
N
N
D000005:Abdomen / Q000528:radiation effects*; D000818:Animals; D004751:Enteritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000276:immunology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D017564:Radiation Pneumonitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects