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

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

Yiren Wang #  1   2 , Shouying Chen #  1   2 , Shuilan Bao #  1   2 , Li Yao #  1   2 , Zhongjian Wen  1   2 , Lixia Xu  1 , Xiaoman Chen  1 , Shengmin Guo  3 , Haowen Pang  4 , Yun Zhou  5 , Ping Zhou  2   6
Affiliations
Review

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

Yiren Wang et al. Front Immunol. .

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.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Radiation skin injury progress. Reference and reproduced with permission from (8).
Figure 2
Figure 2
TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway involved in radiation skin fibrosis. Adapted from "TGF-Beta Signaling Pathway", by BioRender.com (2020). Retrieved from https://app.biorender.com/biorender-templates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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