Abstract
Radiation dermatitis (RD) is one of the most common side effects of radiotherapy; its symptoms progress from erythema to dry and moist desquamation, leading to the deterioration of the patients’ quality of life. Active metabolites in brown seaweed, including phlorotannins (PTNs), show anti-inflammatory activities; however, their medical use is limited. Here, we investigated the effects of PTNs in a mouse model of RD in vivo. X-rays (36 Gy) were delivered in three fractions to the hind legs of BALB/c mice. Macroscopic RD scoring revealed that PTNs significantly mitigated RD compared with the vehicle control. Histopathological analyses of skin tissues revealed that PTNs decreased epidermal and dermal thickness compared with the vehicle control. Western blotting indicated that PTNs augmented nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway activation but attenuated radiation-induced NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) and inflammasome activation, suggesting the mitigation of acute inflammation in irradiated mouse skin. PTNs also facilitated fast recovery, as indicated by increased aquaporin 3 expression and decreased γH2AX (histone family member X) expression. Our results indicate that topical PTN application may alleviate RD symptoms by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling and by promoting the healing process. Therefore, PTNs may show great potential as cosmeceuticals for patients with cancer suffering from radiation-induced inflammatory side effects such as RD.
Highlights
Radiation dermatitis (RD) is one of the most common side effects of radiotherapy (RT)
We aimed to investigate the protective effect of PTNs in a mouse model with RD
To determine the optimal radiation dose for developing the mouse model of RD, single doses of 9, 12, or 15 Gy were delivered for three consecutive days to the skin of the right hind legs of anesthetized mice, and the skin reactions were monitored
Summary
Radiation dermatitis (RD) is one of the most common side effects of radiotherapy (RT). During or following RT, up to 95% of patients with various cancers suffer from RD [1,2]. RD exhibits a wide spectrum of symptoms and severities in the acute phase, and few of the common symptoms include erythema, dry and moist desquamation, edema, pain, pigmentation, and/or ulceration. RD deteriorates the patients’ quality of life [3]. Many researchers and clinicians have tried to reduce RD, but RD is still unsolved. Intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) can be considered as an option for less RD in breast cancer patients. Even with IMRT, about 30% of patients experienced desquamations [4]. Except for general skin care, the management of RD has not been established [5]
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