Abstract
Radiation-induced skin injury is a common side effect of radiotherapy, but there are few therapeutic drugs available for prevention or treatment. In this study, we demonstrate that 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA), a bioactive component derived from Glycyrrhiza glabra, substantially reduces the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibits apoptosis in HaCaT cells after ionizing radiation (IR), thereby mitigating radiation-induced skin injury. Mechanistically, 18β-GA promotes the nuclear import of Nrf2, leading to activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in response to IR. Importantly, Nrf2 silencing increases cell apoptosis and reverse the protective effect of 18β-GA on radiation-induced skin injury. Furthermore, 18β-GA preserves skin tissue structure after irradiation, inhibits inflammatory cell infiltration, and alleviates radiation dermatitis. In conclusion, our results suggest that 18β-GA reduces intracellular ROS production and apoptosis by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, leading to amelioration of radiation dermatitis.
Funding source: Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2021J01700
Funding source: Fujian Provincial Health Technology Project
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2021GGA027
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Research ethics: All animal experiments were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Fujian Medical University (2021-0493).
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Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (grant number: 2021J01700); Fujian Provincial Health Technology Project (grant number: 2021GGA027); Joint Funds for the Innovation of Science and Technology, Fujian Province (grant number: 2023Y9109).
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Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.
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