ABSTRACT
Radiation therapy is one of the main treatment methods for patients with thoracic malignant tumors, which can effectively improve the survival rate of the patients. However, radiation therapy can also cause damage to normal tissues while treating tumors, leading to radiation-induced lung injury such as radiation pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis. Radiation-induced lung injury is a complex pathophysiological process involving many factors, and its prevention and treatment is one of the difficult problems in the field of radiation medicine. Therefore, the search for sensitive predictors of radiation-induced lung injury can guide clinical radiotherapy and reduce the incidence of radiation-induced lung injury. With the in-depth study of intestinal flora, it can drive immune cells or metabolites to reach lung tissue through the circulatory system to play a role, and participate in the occurrence, development and treatment of lung diseases. At present, there are few studies on intestinal flora and radiation-induced lung injury. Therefore, this paper will comprehensively elaborate the interaction between intestinal flora and radiation-induced lung injury, so as to provide a new direction and strategy for studying the protective effect of intestinal flora on radiation-induced lung injury. .
Subject(s)
Humans , Lung Injury/prevention & control , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Lung Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Lung/pathology , Radiation Injuries/metabolism , Thoracic NeoplasmsABSTRACT
Abstract Purpose Changrui enema, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, is used as a supplementary treatment for acute radiation proctitis (ARP). Herein we explored the inhibition effects of Changrui enema on NF-κB and VEGF in ARP mice. Methods A total of 120 C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly into normal mice group, ARP mice group, western medicine enema group (dexamethasone combined with gentamicin), and Changrui enema group. ARP mice were established by pelvic local irradiation. The expression of IL-1β, NF-κB, VEGF, AQP1, AQP3, p-ERK1/2 and p-JNK was determined by immunohistochemistry or western blot. Results The study firstly found that Changrui enema alleviated ARP mice. The expression of IL-1β, NF-κB, VEGF, AQP1 and p-ERK1/2 was increased in ARP mice, and was reserved by Changrui enema. However, the expression of AQP3 and p-JNK was decreased in ARP mice, and was up-regulated by Changrui enema. Conclusions Changrui enema is an effective treatment with fewer side effects for ARP. The mechanism of Changrui enema may be related to the inhibition of inflammation-induced angiogenesis. Changrui enema inhibits IL-1β and NF-κB expression as well as VEGF expression. Interestingly, AQP1 promotes angiogenesis, while AQP3 inhibits inflammation. Changrui enema probably inhibits AQP1 expression by down-regulating p-ERK1/2, and improves AQP3 expression by up-regulating p-JNK.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Proctitis/etiology , Proctitis/drug therapy , Radiation Injuries/metabolism , Radiation Injuries/drug therapy , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , NF-kappa B/drug effects , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/drug effects , Enema , Inflammation , Mice, Inbred C57BLABSTRACT
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced as a part of cellular metabolism can interact with biological macromolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids and interfere with their normal functions, leading to the loss of cellular viability. ROS have been implicated in many pathophysiological conditions including cancer. In the present study, the damage caused by ROS and the effect of radiation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients were assessed in the erythrocytes by analyzing the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and levels of total thiols (T-SH) and malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker for lipid peroxidation). Blood samples were collected before the start of treatment and after the completion of radiotherapy. Both SOD and CAT activities were decreased in untreated patients, but elevated in patients after treatment. The T-SH levels were also depleted in untreated HNSCC patients, but elevated non-significantly after radiation therapy (p>0.05). The levels of MDA showed a significant increase in both untreated patients and after radiation therapy when compared with normal subjects (p<0.05). Thus, the present study indicated that the free radical-mediated damage was aggravated in untreated HNSCC patients, but the levels of antioxidants returned to baseline or nearly so after the treatment with radiation therapy.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/enzymology , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/radiotherapy , Case-Control Studies , Catalase/metabolism , Free Radicals/metabolism , Head and Neck Neoplasms/enzymology , Head and Neck Neoplasms/metabolism , Head and Neck Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Humans , Male , Malondialdehyde/metabolism , Middle Aged , Oxidative Stress/radiation effects , Radiation Injuries/metabolism , Sulfhydryl Compounds/metabolism , Superoxide Dismutase/metabolismABSTRACT
Tritium metabolism in human beings was studied in volunteers who had exposure to tritiated water accidentally, by measuring the organically bound tritium with liquid scintillation counter, in sperms and plasma proteins. 2% of the initial urinary tritium specific activity was incorporated as bound tritium in sperms. In plasma proteins, on the 20th day of exposure, tritium bound in globulin was 3 times higher than that of albumin, tritium bound in globulin was 3 times higher than that of albumin.