Comparison of the Efficacy of Different Methods of Treatment of Severe Local Radiation Injuries in an Experiment

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of different methods of treating severe local radiation injuries (LRI) under the same experimental conditions. Material and methods: Male rats of the Wistar-Kyoto inbred line were locally irradiated in the ilioplumbar region of the back using an X-ray unit LNK-268 at a dose of 110 Gy (tube voltage 30 kV, current 6.1 mA, Al filter 0.1 mm thick), at a dose rate of 20.0 Gy/min. The area of the irradiation field was 8.2 cm2. Such radiation exposure led to the occurrence of severe LRI in rats with long-term non-healing skin ulcers, without critical radiation exposure to the underlying tissues. For the treatment of severe LRI, surgical methods, cell or drug therapy were used, which were used separately from each other. Treatment began on the 28th day after local irradiation, that is, during the period when the radiation ulcer had already formed and regenerative processes began to activate in the affected area. Various surgical approaches were used: from complete excision of the radiation ulcer to removal of various volumes of necrotic tissue within the radiation ulcer. Cell therapy consisted of transplantation of syngeneous cells of the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue or cultured syngeneous multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells. The cells were injected subcutaneously around the radiation ulcer twice at 1-week intervals. For drug therapy of severe local radiation injuries, we used a veterinary complex antibiotic ‒ levotetrasulfin forte, as well as drugs that affect the microcirculation and trophism of irradiated tissues – pentoxifylline and detralex. The drugs were used once a day from the 28th to the 49th day after irradiation. Results and coclusion: The use of surgical methods, cell or drug therapy facilitated the course of the pathological process and accelerated the healing of radiation ulcers. However, different treatments for severe LRI have had different efficacy. In terms of the rate and quality of healing of severe local radiation injuries, drug therapy is less effective than cellular therapy, and cell therapy is less effective than complete surgical excision of radiation ulcers.