Xiaoyu Jiang1, John A. Engelbach, Dinesh K.
Thotala2, Robert E. Drzymala2, Dennis E. Hallahan2,
Joel R. Garbow3, Joseph J. H. Ackerman3
1Department of Chemistry,
Washington University in St. louis, St. louis, MO, United States; 2Department
of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine; 3Department
of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine
Radiation necrosis is a severe, but late occurring type of injury to normal tissue, within and surrounding a radiation treatment field. Recently, an innovative mouse model of radiation necrosis was developed in our laboratory that displays all of the classic histologic signatures of necrosis seen in patients. This model can serve as a robust platform for studies aimed at providing a detailed characterization of radiation necrosis. Here, we use small-animal MRI to demonstrate the efficacy of an inhibitor of the serine/threonine kinase GSK-3β as a neuroprotectant against radiation necrosis in irradiated mouse brain.