Radiobiological Studies of Microvascular Damage through In Vitro Models: A Methodological Perspective

Area of Science:

• Radiobiology
• Cell Biology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Ionizing radiation (IR) is a cornerstone of cancer radiotherapy, yet it causes normal tissue complications.
• Endothelial cells (ECs) are vital for microenvironment homeostasis (ME), and IR-induced damage impacts both tumors and healthy tissues.
• In-vitro models offer a controlled environment to study these complex radiobiological effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze in-vitro models used to study endothelial cells (ECs) subjected to ionizing radiation (IR).
• To identify critical issues and common methodologies in the production, irradiation, and analysis of these radiobiological models.
• To assess the reliability and clinical translatability of current in-vitro EC models for studying IR-induced damage.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of in-vitro models involving endothelial cells (ECs) and ionizing radiation (IR).
• Analysis of methodologies for model production, including 3D environment generation and cell population heterogeneity.
• Evaluation of irradiation schemes and data analysis techniques used in the reviewed studies.

Main Results:

• The generation of 3D in-vitro environments and the inclusion of heterogeneous cell populations are crucial for reliable microenvironment homeostasis (ME) recapitulation.
• Many studies neglect essential details regarding the irradiation scheme, hindering the correlation of in-vitro findings to clinical scenarios.
• Critical issues in model production, irradiation, and analysis limit the translation of in-vitro results to predict normal tissue complications.

Conclusions:

• Optimized in-vitro models for studying endothelial cell (EC) response to ionizing radiation (IR) necessitate 3D structures and diverse cell types.
• Standardization and detailed reporting of irradiation parameters are essential for improving the clinical relevance of radiobiological research.
• Addressing these limitations will enhance the utility of in-vitro models in predicting and mitigating normal tissue complications from radiotherapy.