In the event of a radiological attack or accident, it is more likely that the absorbed radiation dose will be heterogeneous, rather than uniformly distributed throughout the body. This type of uneven dose distribution is known as partial-body irradiation (PBI). Partial exposure of the vital organs, specifically the highly radiosensitive intestines, may cause death, if the injury is significant and the post-exposure recovery is considerably compromised. Here we investigated the recovery rate and extent of recovery from PBI-induced intestinal damage in large animals. Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were randomly divided into four groups: sham-irradiated (0 Gy), 8 Gy PBI, 11 Gy PBI and 14 Gy PBI. A single dose of ionizing radiation was delivered in the abdominal region using a uniform bilateral anteroposterior and posteroanterior technique. Irradiated animals were scheduled for euthanasia on days 10, 28 or 60 postirradiation, and sham-irradiated animals on day 60. Intestinal structural injuries were assessed via crypt depth, villus height, and mucosal surface length in the four different intestinal regions (duodenum, proximal jejunum, distal jejunum and ileum) using H&E staining. Higher radiation doses corresponded with more injury at 10 days post-PBI and a faster recovery rate. However, at 60 days post-PBI, damage was still evident in all regions of the intestine. The proximal and distal ends (duodenum and ileum, respectively) sustained less damage and recovered more fully than the jejunum.

在发生放射攻击或事故时，吸收的辐射剂量更有可能是不均匀的，而不是均匀分布在全身。这种不均匀的剂量分布被称为局部照射 (PBI)。重要器官的部分暴露，特别是对辐射高度敏感的肠道，如果损伤严重且暴露后恢复受到很大影响，可能会导致死亡。在这里，我们研究了大型动物 PBI 诱导的肠道损伤的恢复率和恢复程度。恒河猴 ( Macaca mulatta) 被随机分为四组：假照射 (0 Gy)、8 Gy PBI、11 Gy PBI 和 14 Gy PBI。使用均匀的双侧前后和后前技术在腹部区域提供单剂量的电离辐射。辐照后的动物安排在辐照后第 10、28 或 60 天安乐死，并在第 60 天对假辐照动物进行安乐死。通过四个不同肠道区域（十二指肠、近端）的隐窝深度、绒毛高度和黏膜表面长度评估肠道结构损伤。空肠、远端空肠和回肠）使用 H&E 染色。较高的辐射剂量对应于 PBI 后 10 天的更多伤害和更快的恢复率。然而，在 PBI 后 60 天，肠道所有区域的损伤仍然很明显。近端和远端（十二指肠和回肠，