Ionizing Radiation, Antioxidant Response and Oxidative Damage: Radiomodulators

Dear Colleagues,

Ionizing radiation, in the form of a particle or electromagnetic wave, requires enough energy to remove electrons from atoms or molecules. The ejected electrons can go on to produce additional ionizations, until all the energy of the incident photon or particle is expended.

Radiation-induced biological effects are determined by the type of radiation, dose rate, total dose, fractionation and protraction, penetration capacity, linear energy transfer (LET), cell or tissue affected, and time of exposure. Adverse effects can be a) deterministic or predictable (in a time range known a posteriori of the event) due to harmful tissue/organ damage following high doses of radiation; and b) stochastic (random), such as mutation-associated pathologies (mainly cancer) and heritable effects following moderate and possibly low doses. All cellular molecules are potential targets for energy deposition and damage. By far the most abundant molecule in the body is water. The highly reactive free radicals formed by the radiolysis can augment molecular damage, referred to as indirect radiation action, to distinguish it from the aforementioned direct radiation action. The most highly reactive and damaging species are hydroxyl radicals (^•OH), superoxide anions (O₂^•−), singlet oxygen, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The consequent oxidative stress affects DNA, lipids, proteins, thiols, epigenetic effectors, etc. The survival response can be modulated by different factors, e.g., DNA repair mechanisms, antioxidant defenses, inflammatory response, bystander effects (non-irradiated cells respond to signals received from nearby irradiated cells), health condition, exposure to carcinogens, chemotherapy, toxins, and the use of potential radioprotectors and/or radiomitigators (radiomodulators).

The aim of this Special Issue is to include selected contributions that will help us to understand the oxidative damage caused by ionizing radiation, the antioxidant response exerted by cells, and means to protect our organs and improve their recovery.

Dr. Elena Obrador
Dr. Alegria Montoro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.