Hydrogels for Healing Radiation-Injured Tissues and Organs.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment, affecting over 50% of patients.
• Ionizing radiation causes significant damage to healthy tissues, leading to acute and chronic complications.
• Radiation-induced injuries impair quality of life and limit treatment efficacy, presenting a major clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review hydrogel-based strategies for managing radiation-induced damage.
• To introduce a novel classification framework for hydrogels based on their mechanism of action.
• To summarize current prevention and therapeutic approaches using hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on hydrogels and radiation injury.
• Classification of hydrogels by their mechanism of action (e.g., ROS-scavenging, barrier formation, bioactive delivery).
• Analysis of hydrogel strategies for different phases of radiation injury (inflammation, fibrosis).

Main Results:

• Hydrogels are effective biomaterials for managing radiation damage due to their properties.
• Functional hydrogels (stimuli-responsive, injectable, bioactive) show significant potential.
• A mechanism-based classification highlights how hydrogels address specific aspects of radiation pathophysiology.

Conclusions:

• Hydrogel-based strategies offer promising avenues for protecting healthy tissues from radiation damage.
• Mechanistically aligned hydrogel systems can suppress inflammation and promote tissue regeneration.
• Further development of these advanced hydrogels is crucial for improving patient outcomes in radiotherapy.