MiRNA-Mediated Fibrosis in the Out-of-Target Heart following Partial-Body Irradiation

Authors

Barbara Tanno, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome
Flavia Novelli Flavia Novelli, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome
Simona Leonardi, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome
Caterina Merla, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome
Gabriele Babini, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome
Paola Giardullo, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome
Munira Kadhim, Oxford Brookes University (OBU), Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
Damian Traynor, Technological University Dublin, IrelandFollow
Dinesh Medipally, Technological University DublinFollow
Aidan Meade, Technological University DublinFollow
Fiona Lyng, Technological University DublinFollow
Soile Tapio, Institute of Radiation Biology, Neuherberg, Germany
Luca Marcetti, Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
Anna Saran, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome,
Simonetta Pazzaglia, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome
Mariateresa Mancuso, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome

Document Type

Article

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

3. MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES, Radiology, nuclear medicine and medical imaging

Abstract

A causal association between radiation exposure and various types of non-malignant diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, has been extensively reported [1,2]. The risks of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) were described in therapeutically exposed cohorts of patients with thoracic tumors in which a high incidence of long-term complications (i.e., pericarditis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, conduction abnormalities and myocardial fibrosis) increased the risk of heart-disease-related mortality [3]. Patients who received post-mastectomy radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer were at a 2–3-time higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, due to the apex and anterior wall of the heart being exposed to doses of radiation between 1 and 5 Gy on average [4]. Nevertheless, at a median follow-up of 8 years, the risk of RIHD was not associated with the laterality of the irradiated breast [5]. An increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, especially stroke and heart attack, also resulted from epidemiological studies of A-bomb survivors [6] as well as occupationally exposed workers [7]. At these moderate doses (0.5–5 Gy), the mechanisms of action seem to especially involve atherosclerosis or vascular injury. Many animal studies support such evidence, indicating increased oxidative stress and the promotion of inflammation as possible mechanisms by which radiation promotes atherogenesis [8]. Cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy were also observed after the irradiation of mice with 0.5 Gy of protons or 0.15 Gy of 56Fe ions, at late time points.

DOI

https://doi.org/ 10.3390/cancers14143463

Recommended Citation

Leonardi, S., Merla, C. & Babini, G. (2022). MiRNA-Mediated Fibrosis in the Out-of-Target Heart following Partial-Body Irradiation. Cancers, vol. 14, pg. 3463. doi:10.3390/cancers14143463

Funder

SEPARATE project, Euratom Research and Training Program 2014–2018, in the framework of CONCERT EJP (grant agreement No. 662287).