Scarred Lung. An Update on Radiation-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

Natalia Jarzebska; Ekaterina S Karetnikova; Alexander G Markov; Michael Kasper; Roman N Rodionov; Peter M Spieth

doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.585756

Scarred Lung. An Update on Radiation-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

Front Med (Lausanne). 2021 Jan 15:7:585756. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2020.585756. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Natalia Jarzebska^{1

2}, Ekaterina S Karetnikova³, Alexander G Markov³, Michael Kasper⁴, Roman N Rodionov², Peter M Spieth¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University Hospital Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
² Division of Angiology, Department of Internal Medicine III, University Center for Vascular Medicine, University Hospital Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
³ Department of General Physiology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
⁴ Institute of Anatomy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Abstract

Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis is a common severe long-time complication of radiation therapy for tumors of the thorax. Current therapeutic options used in the clinic include only supportive managements strategies, such as anti-inflammatory treatment using steroids, their efficacy, however, is far from being satisfactory. Recent studies have demonstrated that the development of lung fibrosis is a dynamic and complex process, involving the release of reactive oxygen species, activation of Toll-like receptors, recruitment of inflammatory cells, excessive production of nitric oxide and production of collagen by activated myofibroblasts. In this review we summarized the current state of knowledge on the pathophysiological processes leading to the development of lung fibrosis and we also discussed the possible treatment options.

Keywords: dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase; macromolecular damage; nitric oxide; pulmonary fibrosis; radiation.

Publication types

Review