放射疗法，通过破坏DNA分子非特异性杀伤癌细胞^1,2，因而不可避免地造成病灶周围正常组织的损伤，严重影响了患者的预后效果。放射损伤是一种渐进性的病理过程，急性损伤阶段受损组织的细胞结构依然完整，相较而言损伤程度仍处于较低水平，治疗难度较小³。然而，口干症对患者的困扰主要体现在慢性损伤阶段。该阶段的组织已然发生退化、损伤程度很高^3,4、功能修复难度巨大，相关研究也较为缺乏。如何有效缓解或修复放疗的脱靶效应所致的组织损伤尤其是慢性损伤，是提升广大癌症患者放疗后生活质量的关键所在。

参考文献:

1. Hu, B.; Jin, C.; Li, H.-B.; Tong, J.; Ouyang, X.; Cetinbas, N. M.; Zhu, S.; Strowig, T.; Lam, F. C.; Zhao, C.; Henao-Mejia, J.; Yilmaz, O.; Fitzgerald, K. A.; Eisenbarth, S. C.; Elinav, E.; Flavell, R. A. The DNA-Sensing AIM2 Inflammasome Controls Radiation-Induced Cell Death and Tissue Injury. Science 2016, 354 (6313), 765–768. 

2. Sun, Y.; Aliyari, S. R.; Parvatiyar, K.; Wang, L.; Zhen, A.; Sun, W.; Han, X.; Zhang, A.; Kato, E.; Shi, H.; De Schutter, E.; McBride, W. H.; French, S. W.; Cheng, G. STING Directly Interacts with PAR to Promote Apoptosis upon Acute Ionizing Radiation-Mediated DNA Damage. Cell Death Differ. 2025.

3. Li, J.; Sudiwala, S.; Berthoin, L.; Mohabbat, S.; Gaylord, E. A.; Sinada, H.; Cruz Pacheco, N.; Chang, J. C.; Jeon, O.; Lombaert, I. M. A.; May, A. J.; Alsberg, E.; Bahney, C. S.; Knox, S. M. Long-Term Functional Regeneration of Radiation-Damaged Salivary Glands through Delivery of a Neurogenic Hydrogel. Sci. Adv. 2022, 8 (51), eadc8753. 

4. Marmary, Y.; Adar, R.; Gaska, S.; Wygoda, A.; Maly, A.; Cohen, J.; Eliashar, R.; Mizrachi, L.; Orfaig-Geva, C.; Baum, B. J.; Rose-John, S.; Galun, E.; Axelrod, J. H. Radiation-Induced Loss of Salivary Gland Function Is Driven by Cellular Senescence and Prevented by IL6 Modulation. Cancer Res. 2016, 76 (5), 1170–1180.