Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is a serious complication of radiotherapy and is closely related to mitochondrial dysfunction, yet its mechanism remains unclear. In this study, a series of mitochondrial-related differentially expressed genes were identified in the RIII model, whose core functional modules include mitochondrial-coding genes and apoptosis-related genes. Histopathological staining analysis indicated that RIII shows a significant dose- and time-dependent aggravation. Experiments showed Mrm2 was continuously upregulated after irradiation in vivo. Mrm2 may serve as a key regulatory factor for mitochondrial dysfunction in RIII.
Keywords: Bioinformatics analysis; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial-related DEGs; Radiation-induced intestinal injury.
Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is a serious complication of sudden radiation accidents or radiotherapy. This study reveals that Mrm2 may be a potential key factor in RIII, with time-dependent and dose-dependent characteristics. The identification of the potential of Mrm2 as a biomarker in the patient cohort will contribute to the establishment of an early warning and risk stratification system for RIII, which lays a foundation for the development of targeted intervention strategies to achieve the precise prevention and treatment of RIII, and ultimately guide individualized radiotherapy to improve patients' quality of life while ensuring curative effect.