A living organism inside our bodies has been found to protect us from radiation

Humans are exposed to many types of radiation daily. Radio waves, microwaves, Wi-Fi, cell signals, and cosmic rays from space are some of the examples. There is also radon, which seeps into homes and accounts for over 50 per cent of the average natural dose each year. Scientists have now found that a particular fungus can protect us from radiation. A team of Chinese scientists have found that Mucor racemosus, a symbiotic fungus, lives inside the human gut and can protect us from radiation in a few different ways. The study was published in PNAS.

This means that it might be logical to have it in our guts. Scientists administered M. racemosus to a group of mice and exposed them to radiation. They found that this group experienced less weight loss, inflammation, and oxidative stress compared to control mice that weren't given a fungal dose. This showed that a radioprotective effect had taken shape in the bodies of mice that were given the fungus.

The fungus reduced radiation damage

The protection increased when the fungus was preadapted to the conditions found in the gut. Another group of mice that were free of microorganisms were also administered the fungus and showed reduced markers of radiation damage. "These results demonstrate that M. racemosus directly alleviates radiation-induced intestinal injury in mice," the researchers wrote in the findings.

Further testing to understand how the fungus offered this protection against radiation showed that it produced three amino acids - L-glutamic acid, L-aspartic acid, and DL-lysine - that did the job. All three of them helped repair DNA and facilitated intestinal tissue recovery after exposure to radiation.

Bacterium that increased radiation protection

Another way it fought the effects of radiation was through the production of a chemical called methylthioadenosine (MTA). It did this in two ways. One, it modulated the growth of a bacterium called Limosilactobacillus reuteri. Then MTA reprogrammed this bacterium to increase the production of a chemical called methionine, which in turn boosted radiation protection.

In the third method, the researchers gave mice exposed to radiation a cheese fermented with the fungus. They noted that it reduced intestinal inflammation, enhanced intestinal barrier integrity, and lowered systemic markers of inflammation.

The team added that the fungus is already present in some fermented foods. However, it is important to understand whether it can be advised to people to improve their gut microbiome requires further studies.