Radiation therapy, a common treatment for cancer, often leads to skin damage due to prolonged exposure. Individuals receiving radiation treatment typically suffer from skin injuries ranging from redness and pain to ulcers and infections. Current treatments for these injuries are limited and typically involve debridement (the surgical removal of dead tissue) or hyperbaric oxygen therapy (which involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized room). However, hydrogel-based wound dressings are becoming a favored alternative because they are simple to use and create a moist healing environment that mimics the body's own conditions. Hydrogels based on glycopeptides are particularly effective, having shown promise in laboratory and animal studies to enhance cellular growth and assist in cell adhesion and migration. Now, researchers have developed a hydrogel infused with aspirin, which simulates the nutrient-rich fluid found between cells, offering accelerated healing for radiation-damaged skin in animal models, suggesting it could be an efficient and rapid treatment for humans.

In a new report published in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, a research team led by Qingdao University of Science and Technology (Qingdao, China) has proposed incorporating aspirin, widely known for its anti-inflammatory properties, into a glycopeptide-based hydrogel to create a versatile dressing for treating radiation-induced skin damage. Laboratory tests with cultured cells demonstrated that this aspirin-laden hydrogel could neutralize reactive oxygen species, mend DNA double-strand breaks, and reduce inflammation from radiation, all while supporting healthy cell growth. In trials involving mice with radiation-induced skin damage, application of this hydrogel for three weeks lessened acute injuries and promoted faster healing, indicating its potential as a practical and effective treatment for minimizing radiation damage and enhancing recovery in human patients. 

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