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Protective Role of Natural Compounds under Radiation-Induced Injury
Annamaria Altomare1,2,3, Michele Fiore4,5, Gabriele D'Ercole4
1Unit of Food Science and Nutrition, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
In recent years, evidence has shown the potential therapeutic effects of different natural compounds for the prevention and treatment of radiotherapy-induced mucositis (RIOM). RIOM represents one of the most frequent side effects associated with anti-neoplastic treatments affecting patients' quality of life and treatment response due to radiation therapy discontinuation. The innate radio-protective ability of natural products obtained from plants is in part due to the numerous antioxidants possessed as a part of their normal secondary metabolic processes. However, oxygen presence is a key point for radiation efficacy on cancer cells. The aim of this review is to describe the most recent evidence on radiation-induced injury and the emerging protective role of natural compounds in preventing and treating this specific damage without compromising treatment efficacy.
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