Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal study

Background and purpose: A definitive treatment for radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF), a common side effect of radiation therapy for thoracic cancer, remains to be established. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs, including regular aerobic exercise, may ameliorate RIPF. However, a scientific...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Da Bin Ko, Seungwoo Cha, Jae Yong Jeon, Su Ssan Kim, Won Kim, Sei Won Lee, Joongkee Min, Si Yeol Song, Seung Hak Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405630825000412
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849688015546351616
author Da Bin Ko
Seungwoo Cha
Jae Yong Jeon
Su Ssan Kim
Won Kim
Sei Won Lee
Joongkee Min
Si Yeol Song
Seung Hak Lee
author_facet Da Bin Ko
Seungwoo Cha
Jae Yong Jeon
Su Ssan Kim
Won Kim
Sei Won Lee
Joongkee Min
Si Yeol Song
Seung Hak Lee
author_sort Da Bin Ko
collection DOAJ
description Background and purpose: A definitive treatment for radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF), a common side effect of radiation therapy for thoracic cancer, remains to be established. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs, including regular aerobic exercise, may ameliorate RIPF. However, a scientific basis supporting the protective effect of exercise against RIPF is lacking. Methods: Seven-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to the control (CON), training without irradiation (T), irradiation only (IR), and irradiation with training (IR + T) groups. Irradiation of the right lung was commenced at 40 Gy over five consecutive days, followed by regular aerobic exercise training using a treadmill for 7 weeks. The variables were assessed before and after irradiation. Pulmonary fibrosis was assessed using Masson’s trichrome (MT) staining and hydroxyproline (HYP) assay. Behavioral tests were conducted to evaluate functional changes. In addition, potential molecular mechanisms were explored. Results: The body weights of the rats in the IR and IR + T groups were lower than those in the other two groups. The Rota-rod test revealed significantly higher exercise capacity in the IR + T group compared to that in the IR group, which was closer to that in the CON group. MT staining and HYP assay revealed that the amount of fibrosis in the IR + T group was significantly lower than that in the IR group (collagen area (%): IR, 28.00 ± 7.51, n = 7; IR + T, 24.03 ± 6.93, n = 9; HYP concentration (μg/mg): IR, 0.80 ± 0.09, n = 7; IR + T, 0.47 ± 0.14, n = 9; p < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase activity in the IR + T group was higher than that in the IR group (IR, 84.02 ± 12.56, n = 7; IR + T, 100.55 ± 11.18, n = 9; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Regular aerobic exercise ameliorated RIPF in rats, suggesting its potential utility in pulmonary rehabilitation programs for patients undergoing thoracic radiation therapy.
format Article
id doaj-art-4ecc898eb0374f60a314b4dd6883ff08
institution DOAJ
issn 2405-6308
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology
spelling doaj-art-4ecc898eb0374f60a314b4dd6883ff082025-08-20T03:22:11ZengElsevierClinical and Translational Radiation Oncology2405-63082025-07-015310095110.1016/j.ctro.2025.100951Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal studyDa Bin Ko0Seungwoo Cha1Jae Yong Jeon2Su Ssan Kim3Won Kim4Sei Won Lee5Joongkee Min6Si Yeol Song7Seung Hak Lee8Department of Medical Science, AMIST, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaComputerized Tomography Core, Convergence Medicine Research Center, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Corresponding authors.Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Corresponding authors.Background and purpose: A definitive treatment for radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF), a common side effect of radiation therapy for thoracic cancer, remains to be established. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs, including regular aerobic exercise, may ameliorate RIPF. However, a scientific basis supporting the protective effect of exercise against RIPF is lacking. Methods: Seven-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to the control (CON), training without irradiation (T), irradiation only (IR), and irradiation with training (IR + T) groups. Irradiation of the right lung was commenced at 40 Gy over five consecutive days, followed by regular aerobic exercise training using a treadmill for 7 weeks. The variables were assessed before and after irradiation. Pulmonary fibrosis was assessed using Masson’s trichrome (MT) staining and hydroxyproline (HYP) assay. Behavioral tests were conducted to evaluate functional changes. In addition, potential molecular mechanisms were explored. Results: The body weights of the rats in the IR and IR + T groups were lower than those in the other two groups. The Rota-rod test revealed significantly higher exercise capacity in the IR + T group compared to that in the IR group, which was closer to that in the CON group. MT staining and HYP assay revealed that the amount of fibrosis in the IR + T group was significantly lower than that in the IR group (collagen area (%): IR, 28.00 ± 7.51, n = 7; IR + T, 24.03 ± 6.93, n = 9; HYP concentration (μg/mg): IR, 0.80 ± 0.09, n = 7; IR + T, 0.47 ± 0.14, n = 9; p < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase activity in the IR + T group was higher than that in the IR group (IR, 84.02 ± 12.56, n = 7; IR + T, 100.55 ± 11.18, n = 9; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Regular aerobic exercise ameliorated RIPF in rats, suggesting its potential utility in pulmonary rehabilitation programs for patients undergoing thoracic radiation therapy.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405630825000412Radiation therapyPulmonary fibrosisAerobic exercisePulmonary rehabilitation
spellingShingle Da Bin Ko
Seungwoo Cha
Jae Yong Jeon
Su Ssan Kim
Won Kim
Sei Won Lee
Joongkee Min
Si Yeol Song
Seung Hak Lee
Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal study
Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology
Radiation therapy
Pulmonary fibrosis
Aerobic exercise
Pulmonary rehabilitation
title Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal study
title_full Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal study
title_fullStr Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal study
title_full_unstemmed Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal study
title_short Regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: An animal study
title_sort regular aerobic exercise ameliorates radiation induced pulmonary fibrosis an animal study
topic Radiation therapy
Pulmonary fibrosis
Aerobic exercise
Pulmonary rehabilitation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405630825000412
work_keys_str_mv AT dabinko regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT seungwoocha regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT jaeyongjeon regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT sussankim regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT wonkim regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT seiwonlee regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT joongkeemin regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT siyeolsong regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy
AT seunghaklee regularaerobicexerciseamelioratesradiationinducedpulmonaryfibrosisananimalstudy