Fig. 1
From: Radiation-induced lung injury: from mechanism to prognosis and drug therapy
Key effector cells in radiation-induced lung injury. After radiation injury, alveolar epithelial cells secrete various factors and transform into myofibroblasts through EMT. The barrier function of endothelial cells in blood vessels is impaired after radiation injury, leading to the secretion of cytokines and increased vascular permeability. Macrophages respond to MCP-1 signals secreted by alveolar epithelial cells, which are recruited and activated in the lungs, and interact with fibroblasts to reconstruct ECM. Abbreviations: TGF-β1, transforming growth factor-β1; PDGF, platelet derived growth factor; IL-4, interleukin-4; IL-13, interleukin-13; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; CSF, colony-stimulating factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; IL-1β, interleukin-1β; EMT, epithelial-mesenchymal transition