# Oral administration of probiotic spore ghosts for efficient attenuation of radiation-induced intestinal injury

## TL;DR

This study shows that probiotic spore ghosts can protect the intestines from radiation damage during cancer treatment.

## Contribution

The novel use of probiotic spore ghosts as radioprotectants for the small intestine is demonstrated.

## Key findings

- Spore ghosts from B.coagulans, B.subtilis, and B.licheniformis reduce radiation-induced intestinal injury.
- They scavenge ROS, reduce inflammation, and restore intestinal barrier integrity in mice.
- SGs improve survival and weight gain in mice exposed to abdominal X-ray radiation.

## Abstract

Radiation-induced intestinal injury is the most common side effect during radiotherapy of abdominal or pelvic solid tumors, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life and even resulting in poor prognosis. Until now, oral application of conventional formulations for intestinal radioprotection remains challenging with no preferred method available to mitigate radiation toxicity in small intestine. Our previous study revealed that nanomaterials derived from spore coat of probiotics exhibit superior anti-inflammatory effect and even prevent the progression of cancer. The aim of this work is to determine the radioprotective effect of spore coat (denoted as spore ghosts, SGs) from three clinically approved probiotics (B.coagulans, B.subtilis and B.licheniformis). All the three SGs exhibit outstanding reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability and excellent anti-inflammatory effect. Moreover, these SGs can reverse the balance of intestinal flora by inhibiting harmful bacteria and increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus. Consequently, administration of SGs significantly reduce radiation-induced intestinal injury by alleviating diarrhea, preventing X-ray induced apoptosis of small intestinal epithelial cells and promoting restoration of barrier integrity in a prophylactic study. Notably, SGs markedly improve weight gain and survival of mice received total abdominal X-ray radiation. This work may provide promising radioprotectants for efficiently attenuating radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome and promote the development of new intestinal predilection.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-024-02572-8.