Folic Acid Alleviates X-Ray Irradiation-Induced Jaw Malformation in Zebrafish

X-rays are a form of ionizing radiation that has sufficient energy to remove electrons from atoms, thereby creating potentially harmful ions. X-ray irradiation during organogenesis can have profound detrimental effects, depending on the developmental stage and irradiating energy. In this study, we examined the impact of X-ray irradiation on zebrafish development at 36 h post-fertilization and observed marked jaw malformation, which was alleviated by folic acid pretreatment. Mechanistic studies revealed that folic acid pretreatment suppressed irradiation-induced production of reactive oxygen species. Transcriptome analysis performed at 24 and 48 h post-irradiation revealed dysregulated expression of apolipoprotein A-IV a (apoa4a), methionine adenosyltransferase 1A (mat1a), heat shock protein 90 alpha class A member 1 tandem duplicate 1 (hsp90aa1.1), FKBP prolyl isomerase 5 (fkbp5), plac8 onzin related protein 3 (ponzr3), and prostaglandin E synthase 3a (ptges3a), which was not observed in zebrafish treated with folic acid before the irradiation. These findings suggest that folic acid alleviates X-ray irradiation-induced jaw malformation in zebrafish, at least in part, by reducing oxidative stress and ameliorating dysregulated gene expression.