Mechanism-Driven Nanomedicine for Radiation Injury and Protection: Redox Homeostasis, the DNA Damage Response, and Microbiome-Based Strategies.
5 affiliations
- 1School of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China.
- 2Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China.
- 3Child Health Big Data Research Center, Capital Center for Children's Health, Capital Medical University, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, People's Republic of China.
- 4Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China.
- 5Department of Oncology, The Second People's Hospital of Neijiang, Neijiang, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment but is limited by injury to normal tissues. Radiation-induced ROS, DNA double-strand breaks, mitochondrial dysfunction, dysregulated DNA damage responses (DDR), and persistent inflammation drive acute and chronic toxicity. Radioprotective strategies must protect normal tissues without weakening tumor control. This review examines nanomedicine strategies for normal-tissue radioprotection through three mechanisms: (1) redox regulation by nanozymes, radical scavengers, and antioxidant delivery systems; (2) modulation of DDR pathways and cell fate; and (3) microbiome and metabolite regulation. We discuss how these strategies affect molecular damage, inflammation, and tissue repair and assess whether they preserve normal tissues without compromising antitumor immunity or radiotherapy efficacy.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026mechanismdriven,
title = {{Mechanism-Driven Nanomedicine for Radiation Injury and Protection: Redox Homeostasis, the DNA Damage Response, and Microbiome-Based Strategies.}},
author = {Han Li and Xinrui Du and Chengyuan Zhou and Yue Wang and Ke Su and Siyuan Li},
journal = {International journal of nanomedicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/ijn.s650755},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42974519},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mechanism-Driven Nanomedicine for Radiation Injury and Protection: Redox Homeostasis, the DNA Damage Response, and Microbiome-Based Strategies.
AU - Han Li
AU - Xinrui Du
AU - Chengyuan Zhou
AU - Yue Wang
AU - Ke Su
AU - Siyuan Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - International journal of nanomedicine
DO - 10.2147/ijn.s650755
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42974519
AB - Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment but is limited by injury to normal tissues. Radiation-induced ROS, DNA double-strand breaks, mitochondrial dysfunction, dysregulated DNA damage responses (DDR), and persistent inflammation drive acute and chronic toxicity. Radioprotective strategies must protect normal tissues without weakening tumor control. This review examines nanomedicine strategies for normal-tissue radioprotection through three mechanisms: (1) redox regulation by nanozymes, radical scavengers, and antioxidant delivery systems; (2) modulation of DDR pathways and cell fate; and (3) microbiome and metabolite regulation. We discuss how these strategies affect molecular damage, inflammation, and tissue repair and assess whether they preserve normal tissues without compromising antitumor immunity or radiotherapy efficacy.
SN - 1176-9114
SN - 1178-2013
ER -