Radiation therapy can harm the skin, causing pain, infection, and long-term inflammation. Researchers have created an aspirin-containing hydrogel that mimics the fluid between cells and speeds up animal healing. This new gel could one day help quickly heal radiation-damaged skin in humans.
Most people getting radiotherapy for cancer will suffer skin injuries like redness, pain, ulcers, and infection. Few treatments are available, with common ones being surgical removal of damaged skin or oxygen therapy.
Hydrogels are becoming popular as wound dressings because they are easy to use and help heal. Researchers are now testing a glycopeptide-based hydrogel with aspirin to treat radiation skin injuries.
In lab tests, researchers found that the aspirin-containing hydrogel reduced inflammation, repaired DNA damage, and didn’t harm cell growth. When used for three weeks, the hydrogel also healed wounds faster in mice with radiation skin injuries.
This research suggests that the aspirin-containing hydrogel could become a standard treatment for radiation skin injuries. Its potential to effectively reduce radiation damage and promote healing in humans is a significant development in the field of radiation therapy.
The study concludes that aspirin-containing hydrogels are a promising treatment for radiation wounds. They reduce inflammation, repair DNA damage, and speed up healing, making them a potential, easy-to-use option for treating human radiation-induced skin injuries.
Journal reference :
- Jiajun Guo, Xiaoguang Zhang et al., Multifunctional Glycopeptide-Based Hydrogel via Dual-Modulation for the Prevention and Repair of Radiation-Induced Skin Injury. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c00698.