Abstract
Exposure to sub-lethal doses of ionising and non-ionising electromagnetic radiation can impact human health and well-being as a consequence of, for example, the side effects of radiotherapy (therapeutic X-ray exposure) and accelerated skin ageing (chronic exposure to ultraviolet radiation: UVR). Whilst attention has focused primarily on the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with cells and cellular components, radiation-induced damage to long-lived extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins has the potential to profoundly affect tissue structure, composition and function. This review focuses on the current understanding of the biological effects of ionising and non-ionising radiation on the ECM of breast stroma and skin dermis, respectively. Although there is some experimental evidence for radiation-induced damage to ECM proteins, compared with the well-characterised impact of radiation exposure on cell biology, the structural, functional, and ultimately clinical consequences of ECM irradiation remain poorly defined.
Highlights
Radiation exists in two main forms: Electromagnetic (EM) radiation in the form of alternating electric and magnetic waves that propagate energy, and particle radiation consisting of accelerated particles such as electrons and protons
Many studies in the past exposing the detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and ionising radiation were focused on modifications of cellular behaviour as a consequence of intracellular molecular damage to DNA, proteins and lipids [99,226,227]
Additional study of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins would be beneficial, increasing our understanding of sub-lethal radiation responses that are often long-term and detrimental to the quality of life. Both skin and breast tissue provide clinically relevant models to study the biological effects of UVR and ionising radiation, respectively
Summary
Radiation exists in two main forms: Electromagnetic (EM) radiation in the form of alternating electric and magnetic waves that propagate energy, and particle radiation consisting of accelerated particles such as electrons and protons. EM radiation can be broadly categorised as non-ionising and ionising. Both types may be encountered clinically or environmentally, with exposure having potentially positive or negative effects on tissues and organisms (Table 1). UVR is considered non-ionising as it is, in general, not sufficiently energetic to remove electrons from biomolecules. Energetic, ionising electromagnetic radiation (X-rays and gamma rays) can remove electrons. Other forms of radiation, which rely on charged particles (e.g., α, β, protons), can interact with biological systems and are clinically important (such as in proton therapy and in cosmic radiation exposure for space exploration), but being non-electromagnetic, they lie outside the scope of this review. The reader is referred to an excellent review by Helm et al [9]
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