Research progress of radiation nephropathy / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Radiotherapy is an important treatment for malignant tumors. However, it is also one cause of damage to local normal tissues, such as radiation nephropathy, which is frequently induced during the radiotherapy of abdominal and pelvic tumors. The exact pathogenesis of radiation nephropathy is still unclear and is believed to be related mainly to factors including oxidative stress, cell aging, and gene changes presently. Moreover, there is a lack of effective treatments for radiation nephropathy. With an increase in the survival of tumor patients, radiation nephropathy has received increasing attention. This article mainly reviewed the research progress of radiation nephropathy from the aspects of pathogenesis and treatments, aiming to provide a reference for the research and clinical diagnosis and treatment of radiation nephropathy.

Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on Radiation Nephropathy in Rats

The kidney is one of the most radiosensitive organs in the abdominal cavity and is the dose-limiting structure in cancer patients receiving abdominal or total body irradiation. In the present study, the effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on radiation nephropathy was evaluated in rats. A total of 72 rats were equally randomized into 4 groups: Control, CoQ10, irradiation with 10 Gy (RT) + placebo, or RT + CoQ10. The 2 RT groups received single 10 Gy of abdominal irradiation. The 2 CoQ10 groups were supplemented daily with 1 mL of soybean oil containing 10 mg/kg of CoQ10. The RT + placebo and control groups received same dose of soybean oil. After 24 weeks, laboratory and histopathologic findings were compared. The 2 RT groups showed significant increases in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels and significant pathologic changes such as glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. CoQ10 supplementation resulted in significant reductions of BUN and creatinine levels compared with the RT + placebo group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.038, respectively). CoQ10 treatment significantly attenuated glomerular and tubular changes of irradiated kidney in semiquantitative analysis (P < 0.001 for both). Administration of CoQ10 can alleviate the radiation-induced nephropathy.

Radiation nephropathy / 医学研究生学报

Radiation nephropathy refers to the damage of renal parenchyma and blood vessel caused by sufficient exposure to ionizing radiation.The clinical presentation includes proteinuria,hematuria,anemia,hypertension,and azotemia.Histological features include capillary loop thickening,mesangiolysis,formation of the double contours,subendothelial swelling,tubular atrophy,and tubulointerstitial fibrosis.Similar changes are seen in a variety of experimental animal models.The pathogenesis of radiation nephropathy remained unclear.It is reported that radiation-induced changes in kidney cell phenotype,renin angiotensin system(RAS) and oxidative stress is clearly involved.Multiple experimental studies have shown that antagonism of the RAS is beneficial,even when not initiated until weeks after irradiation.Recent findings suggest a similar benefit in clinical radiation nephropathy.