Radiation-Induced Brain Injury: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cells of the Nervous System".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 1068

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Radiobiology Research Laboratory, Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative, National University of Singapore, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Interests: radiobiology; neurogenesis; neurodegeneration; neurological and neuropsychological disorders
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Radiation exposure may induce abnormal brain development and subsequent neurological and neuropsychological disorders, with the potential to severely affect the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, further research into high- or low-dose/dose-rate radiation-induced brain injury, pathophysiological changes, neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders and relevant molecular mechanisms is needed urgently. This may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic approaches to prevent acute or chronic radiation-induced neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.      

In this Special Issue of Cells, entitled "Radiation-Induced Brain Injury: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies", we are inviting authors to submit human, animal or cell experimental research work and review papers. Potential discussions may include high- or low-dose/dose-rate irradiation-induced brain injury, disorders, relevant molecular mechanisms, and recent advances in the development of therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Feng Ru Tang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • radiation injury
  • brain
  • neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders
  • molecular mechanisms
  • novel therapeutic approaches

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 3012 KiB  
Article
Effects of Continuous Prenatal Low Dose Rate Irradiation on Neurobehavior, Hippocampal Cellularity, Messenger RNA and MicroRNA Expression on B6C3F1 Mice
by Feng Ru Tang, Ignacia Braga Tanaka III, Hong Wang, Salihah Lau, Satoshi Tanaka, Amanda Tan, Daisaku Takai and Akiko Abe
Cells 2024, 13(17), 1423; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13171423 - 26 Aug 2024
Viewed by 658
Abstract
Epidemiological, experimental, and ecological data have indicated the controversial effect of in utero chronic low dose rate (<6 mGy/h) with accumulative low (≤100 mGy) or high (>100 mGy) dose radiation exposure. Our main goal of this study was to examine if different low [...] Read more.
Epidemiological, experimental, and ecological data have indicated the controversial effect of in utero chronic low dose rate (<6 mGy/h) with accumulative low (≤100 mGy) or high (>100 mGy) dose radiation exposure. Our main goal of this study was to examine if different low dose rates of chronic pre- and/or post-natal radiation exposure with accumulative high doses could induce hippocampal cellular, mRNA, and miRNA changes leading to neuropsychiatric disorders. The comprehensive mouse phenotypic traits, organ weight, pathological, and blood mRNA and miRNA changes were also studied. Using different approaches including SmithKline, Harwell, Imperial College, Royal Hospital, Phenotype Assessment (SHIRPA), neurobehavioral tests, pathological examination, immunohistochemistry, mRNA and miRNA sequencing, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation, we found that in prenatally irradiated (100 mGy/d for 18 days with an accumulative dose of 1.8 Gy) 1-year-old mice, no cellular changes, including immature neurons in the subgranular zone, mature neurons and glial cells in the hilus of the dentate gyrus and development of cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric disorders, occurred. However, a significant reduction in body weight and mass index (BMI) was indicated by the SHIRPA test. A reduced exploratory behavior was shown by an open field test. Organ weights showed significant reductions in the testes, kidneys, heart, liver and epididymides with no abnormal pathology. mRNA and miRNA sequencing and qRT-PCR validation revealed the upregulation of Rubcnl and Abhd14b, and downregulation of Hspa1b, P4ha1, and Banp genes in both the hippocampus and blood of mice prenatally irradiated with 100 mGy/d. Meanwhile, downregulation of miR-448-3p and miR1298-5p in the hippocampus, miR-320-3p, miR-423-5p, miR-486b-5p, miR-486b-3p, miR-423-3p, miR-652-3p, miR-324-3p, miR-181b-5p, miR-let-7b, and miR-6904-5p in the blood was induced. The target scan revealed that Rubcnl is one of the miR-181b-5p targets in the blood. We, therefore, concluded that prenatal chronic irradiation with a low dose rate of 100 mGy/d and accumulative dose of 1.8 Gy or below might not induce significant adverse health effects on the offspring. Further study of different low dose rate radiation exposures with accumulative high doses may provide threshold doses for authorities or regulators to set new radiation safety guidelines to replace those extrapolated from acute high dose/dose rate irradiation to reduce unnecessary emergency evacuation or spending once a nuclear accident or leakage occurs. Full article
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