Deciphering the fibrotic process: mechanism of chronic radiation skin injury fibrosis

Yiren Wang; Shouying Chen; Shuilan Bao; Li Yao; Zhongjian Wen; Lixia Xu; Xiaoman Chen; Shengmin Guo; Haowen Pang; Yun Zhou; Ping Zhou

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1338922

Deciphering the fibrotic process: mechanism of chronic radiation skin injury fibrosis

Front Immunol. 2024 Feb 15:15:1338922. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1338922. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Yiren Wang^#^{1

2}, Shouying Chen^#^{1

2}, Shuilan Bao^#^{1

2}, Li Yao^#^{1

2}, Zhongjian Wen^{1

2}, Lixia Xu¹, Xiaoman Chen¹, Shengmin Guo³, Haowen Pang⁴, Yun Zhou⁵, Ping Zhou^{2

6}

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
² Wound Healing Basic Research and Clinical Application Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
³ Department of Nursing, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
⁵ School of Medical Information and Engineering, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
⁶ Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

This review explores the mechanisms of chronic radiation-induced skin injury fibrosis, focusing on the transition from acute radiation damage to a chronic fibrotic state. It reviewed the cellular and molecular responses of the skin to radiation, highlighting the role of myofibroblasts and the significant impact of Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) in promoting fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transformation. The review delves into the epigenetic regulation of fibrotic gene expression, the contribution of extracellular matrix proteins to the fibrotic microenvironment, and the regulation of the immune system in the context of fibrosis. Additionally, it discusses the potential of biomaterials and artificial intelligence in medical research to advance the understanding and treatment of radiation-induced skin fibrosis, suggesting future directions involving bioinformatics and personalized therapeutic strategies to enhance patient quality of life.

Keywords: biomaterials; computational biology; fibrosis; mechanism; pathway; radiation skin injury; radiodermatitis; radiotherapy.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Artificial Intelligence*
Epigenesis, Genetic
Fibrosis
Humans
Quality of Life
Radiation Injuries* / genetics
Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism

Substances

Transforming Growth Factor beta

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by Sichuan Provincial Medical Research Project Plan (No. S21004); Gulin County Peoples Hospital-Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University Science and Technology Strategic Cooperation Program (No. 2022GLXNYDFY05); Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2022YFS0616); Key-funded Project of the National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (No. 202310632001); National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (No. 202310632028); National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (No. 202310632036); National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (No. 202310632093) and Sichuan Provincial Medical Research Youth Innovation Project (No.Q17080).