Serum miRNA expression in mice exposed to a high dose of ionizing radiation

Exposure to high-doses of ionizing radiation (IR) leads to development of a strong acute radiation syndrome (ARS) in mammals. ARS manifests after a latency period and it is important to develop fast prognostic biomarkers for its early detection and assessment. Analysis of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes is the gold standard of biological dosimetry, but it fails after high doses of IR. Therefore, it is important to establish novel biomarkers of exposure that are fast and reliable also in the high dose range. Here, we investigated the applicability of miRNA levels in mouse serum. In the present study, the serum miRNA expression in the irradiated and non-irradiated mice (0 Gy and 7 Gy) were investigated using Agilent SurePrint G3 mouse miRNA microarray.