Investigating the FLASH effect on the normal tissue toxicity and microbial composition in the gastrointestinal system in mice

Various preclinical studies using ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) irradiation have demonstrated reduced normal tissue toxicity compared to conventional (CONV) radiotherapy, while some studies have reported no such sparing effect. In this study, we investigated the effect of FLASH irradiation compared to CONV irradiation on acute intestinal toxicity in mice, using a Swiss-roll based crypt assay and 16S rRNA microbial profiling.