Redox Mechanisms Underlying Radiation Responses: From Conventional to FLASH Radiotherapy
A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 1334
Special Issue Editor
Interests: water radiolysis; early events in radiobiology; free radicals; radioprotectors/antioxidants; FLASH radiotherapy; Monte Carlo multi-track chemistry simulations; water chemistry in water-cooled nuclear reactors; supercritical water
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The cellular response to ionizing radiation is fundamentally governed by redox chemistry. Ionizing radiation generates a cascade of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals that drive oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inflammation, central determinants of therapeutic efficacy and toxicity. While these redox-mediated processes are well characterized in conventional (CONV) radiotherapy, the recent emergence of FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT), delivering ultra-high dose rates (>40–100 Gy/s), has revealed unexpected normal-tissue sparing without compromising tumor control. The underlying mechanisms of this so-called "FLASH effect" remain incompletely understood, but growing evidence implicates distinct redox dynamics, including transient oxygen depletion, radical–radical interactions, antioxidant buffering, and altered signaling.
This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research exploring redox-based mechanisms across the spectrum of radiation modalities, from low- to high-LET radiation and from CONV to FLASH-RT. Contributions are welcome in areas such as radiation-induced oxidative stress, ROS kinetics, antioxidant defenses, redox signaling, and the role of molecular modifiers (e.g., H₂, cysteamine, nitric oxide, etc.). Both experimental and computational studies, including medical physics, radiation chemistry, radiobiology, systems biology, and clinical translation, are encouraged. By unifying redox science and radiotherapy, this Special Issue seeks to advance mechanistic understanding and inform the design of safer, more effective treatment strategies.
Prof. Dr. Jean Paul Jay-Gerin
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- radiation-induced oxidative stress
- reactive oxygen species (ROS)
- antioxidants
- radiation chemistry
- medical physics
- FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT)
- dose rate effects
- redox signaling
- oxygen depletion
- linear energy transfer (LET)
- free radical scavengers
- radical-radical interactions
- DNA damage and repair
- radioprotective agents
- track structure
- Monte Carlo simulations
- biomolecular targets
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