The School of Basic Medicine, Health Science Center, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China.
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul 27;23(15):8286. doi: 10.3390/ijms23158286.
Radiation-induced brain injury (RIBI) after radiotherapy has become an increasingly important factor affecting the prognosis of patients with head and neck tumor. With the delivery of high doses of radiation to brain tissue, microglia rapidly transit to a pro-inflammatory phenotype, upregulate phagocytic machinery, and reduce the release of neurotrophic factors. Persistently activated microglia mediate the progression of chronic neuroinflammation, which may inhibit brain neurogenesis leading to the occurrence of neurocognitive disorders at the advanced stage of RIBI. Fully understanding the microglial pathophysiology and cellular and molecular mechanisms after irradiation may facilitate the development of novel therapy by targeting microglia to prevent RIBI and subsequent neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
放疗后引起的脑损伤（RIBI）已成为影响头颈部肿瘤患者预后的一个重要因素。随着高剂量的射线被传输至脑组织，小胶质细胞迅速过渡到促炎表型，上调吞噬机制，并减少神经营养因子的释放。持续激活的小胶质细胞介导慢性神经炎症的进展，这可能抑制脑神经发生，导致 RIBI 的晚期出现神经认知障碍。充分了解照射后小胶质细胞的病理生理学和细胞及分子机制，可能有助于通过靶向小胶质细胞来开发新的治疗方法，以预防 RIBI 及随后的神经和神经精神障碍。
