Beyond the unthinkable: Are we prepared for rare disasters?

Hirohashi, Nobuyuki; Shime, Nobuaki; Fujii, Tomoaki

doi:10.1016/j.accpm.2023.101266

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…The global communities must be united to confront a broad range of nuclear threats. These encompass the detonation of sophisticated and improvised nuclear weapons, potential terrorist deployment of radiologic dispersal devices (i.e., dirty bombs), attacks on nuclear power plants, and the occurrence of accidents at these facilities caused by technical failure or natural disasters as happened in Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986 and Fukushima, Japan in 2011 (1)(2)(3)(4). Exposure to high doses of radiation can cause serious health problems known as acute radiation syndrome (ARS), consisting of three major sub-syndromes, hematopoietic (H), gastrointestinal (GI), and neurovascular (NV) ARS (5,6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DAMPs and radiation injury

Yamaga,

Aziz,

Murao

et al. 2024

Front. Immunol.

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The heightened risk of ionizing radiation exposure, stemming from radiation accidents and potential acts of terrorism, has spurred growing interests in devising effective countermeasures against radiation injury. High-dose ionizing radiation exposure triggers acute radiation syndrome (ARS), manifesting as hematopoietic, gastrointestinal, and neurovascular ARS. Hematopoietic ARS typically presents with neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, while gastrointestinal ARS results in intestinal mucosal injury, often culminating in lethal sepsis and gastrointestinal bleeding. This deleterious impact can be attributed to radiation-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress, leading to various forms of cell death, such as apoptosis, necrosis and ferroptosis. Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are intrinsic molecules released by cells undergoing injury or in the process of dying, either through passive or active pathways. These molecules then interact with pattern recognition receptors, triggering inflammatory responses. Such a cascade of events ultimately results in further tissue and organ damage, contributing to the elevated mortality rate. Notably, infection and sepsis often develop in ARS cases, further increasing the release of DAMPs. Given that lethal sepsis stands as a major contributor to the mortality in ARS, DAMPs hold the potential to function as mediators, exacerbating radiation-induced organ injury and consequently worsening overall survival. This review describes the intricate mechanisms underlying radiation-induced release of DAMPs. Furthermore, it discusses the detrimental effects of DAMPs on the immune system and explores potential DAMP-targeting therapeutic strategies to alleviate radiation-induced injury.

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