Study on urine biomarkers of radiation-induced injury guided by Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism

Abstract

Objective

Under the guidance of model organism Caenorhabditis elegans with fine olfactory system, small molecular metabolites sensitive to high dose radiation were screened as biomarkers of acute radiation-induced injury, and their metabolic pathways were elucidated by enrichment.

Methods

Rats were irradiated with 12 ​Gy γ-rays to establish an acute radiation injury model, and their urine was fingerprinted using UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. Further, under the guidance of Caenorhabditis elegans as olfactory-sensitive model organism, the key differential metabolites in urine were found as biomarkers of radiation-induced injury.

Results

After rats were irradiated, the radiation injury urine showed a difference from control (sham-irradiated) urine, which could be distinguished by Caenorhabditis elegans. Based on metabolomics analysis, a total of 21 key differential metabolites with P value ​< ​0.05 and fold change either >2 or <0.5 were identified, which can be used as sensitive and reliable biomarkers of radiation-induced injury. The pathways were further enriched, and it was found that disorders of five metabolic pathways, including citric acid cycle and amino acid metabolism, play an important role in radiation-induced injury.

Conclusions

Due to radiation injury, the metabolites in urine will change significantly. The study on biomarkers guided by model organism Caenorhabditis elegans provides a new perspective to explain the details of metabolic disorders, and also provides experimental basis for the development of new biological dosimeters.