[Role of lung fibroblast activation in radiation lung injury].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of lung fibroblast activation in radiation-induced lung injury.


METHODS
Thirty-five male Wistar rats were exposed to a single-dose 30 Gy irradiation of the right hemithorax or sham right lung irradiation. At 1, 7, 14, 28, 56 or 84 days after the irradiation, the rats were sacrificed for examination of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) expression in the bilateral lung tissues using immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
alpha-SMA expression in fibroblast increased significantly in the out-field and in-field lung tissues within 24 h after irradiation after the irradiation (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Activation of the lung fibroblasts occurred within 24 h after irradiation and found in ont-field and in-field lung tissues, suggesting that radiation-induced lung injury may not have an obvious latency.
Liu
Lai-yu
LY
Department of Respiratory Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Ding
Yi
Y
Li
Qi-sheng
QS
Chen
Long-hua
LH
Cai
Shao-xi
SX
Guan
Jian
J
D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D000199:Actins; C498862:Acta2 protein, rat