AUTHOR=Li Long , Nie Xiaoqi , Yi Minxiao , Qin Wan , Li Fang , Wu Bili , Yuan Xianglin 

TITLE=Aerosolized Thyroid Hormone Prevents Radiation Induced Lung Fibrosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.528686

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2020.528686

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>Radiation induced lung fibrosis (RILF) is a common late complication after radiotherapy without effective treatment. Thyroid hormone (TH) is known to reverse bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in recent study. We therefore sought to examine TH effect in RILF. Aerosolized TH delivery prevented pulmonary fibrosis according to either micro-computed tomography scans or histological evaluations, without significant changes in serum THs in a murine model of RILF by attenuating TGF-β1 and phosphorylated Smad2/3 expressions and reducing the accumulation of M2-like macrophages. Furthermore, hypothyroidism was significantly correlated with RILF in a retrospectively analyzed data from nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated by intensity-modulated radiation therapy with a median follow-up time of 25.5 months. Together, aerosolized TH may prevent RILF by inhibiting the TGF-β1/SMADs signaling pathway.</p>