Mouse parabiosis model promotes recovery of lymphocytes in irradiated mice

Abstract

Purpose

Total body irradiation (TBI) -induced hematopoietic system injury is mainly due to the failure of self-renewal and to the differentiation ability of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) after radiation exposure. The mouse parabiosis model is mainly used in the field of aging research to explore whether circulating factors in peripheral blood can improve the functions of aged tissues and organs. In this study, we generated a mouse model to verify whether non-irradiated peripheral circulation can improve the circulatory environment in irradiated mice and ameliorate TBI-induced hematopoietic system injury.

Materials and methods

Six- to eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were adjoined by a surgical operation. Four weeks later, one mouse in the pair was exposed to 8 Gy or 6 Gy X-ray, and B and T cells in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes and thymus were then detected by flow cytometry. Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in bone marrow cells and their levels of ROS and apoptosis were also detected in this study.

Results

The results showed decreased percentages of B and T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, bone marrow (BM), spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) in the isotype irradiated mice. The proportions of CD4-positive, CD8-positive, and CD4 and CD8 double-negative cells were also increased, while the proportion of CD4 and CD8 double-positive cells in the irradiated thymus was decreased. Thus, all of the above lymphocyte injuries in the parabiosis model were improved to nearly the levels of the control. We further detected radiation-induced HSC and HPC injury; however, the reduced HSC and HPC numbers, ROS levels and apoptosis percentages were not ameliorated in the parabiotic irradiated mice.

Conclusions

Above all, our results showed that non-irradiated peripheral circulation can promote the recovery of TBI-induced lymphocyte injury, further indicating that the recovery of immune cells may play a very important role in the repair of TBI-induced damage.

Keywords:

• Ionizing radiation
• parabiosis
• hematopoietic system injury
• lymphocyte

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Correction

Author contributions

Junling Zhang and Saijun Fan conceived the project and designed the research; Tong Yuan, Xiaodan Han and Junling Zhang executed the experiments; Huijun Liu executed the surgeries; and Junling Zhang and Tong Yuan analyzed the data, interpreted the results, and wrote the manuscript with contributions from Saijun Fan. All authors commented on and approved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

All the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare in relation to this work.

Correction Statement

This article was originally published with errors, which have now been corrected in the online version. Please see Correction (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09553002.2024.2347189).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [81572969].

Notes on contributors

Tong Yuan

Tong Yuan is a Graduate student of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, works on the effect of radiation on hematopoietic system.

Xiaodan Han

Xiaodan Han, MD, is an attending Physician at the Department of Radiation Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. She works on topics in Cancer Radiotherapy and the radiation induced injury.

Huijun Liu

Huijun Liu, BS, is an Associate Chief Physician at the Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Emergency Medical Center. He works on emergency surgical treatment of hand and foot trauma.

Junling Zhang

Junling Zhang, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Tianjin Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science. She works on topics in radiation induced hematopoietic system injury.

Saijun Fan

Saijun Fan, PhD, is a Professor, Director of The Institute of Radiation Medicine, Peking Union Medical College; Distinguished Professor of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College. He is mainly engaged in the research and development of new cancer radiation sensitization drugs and ionizing radiation new biological dosing agents.