Simvastatin attenuates lung vascular leak and inflammation in a murine model of radiation-induced lung injury

Background: Microvascular injury and increased vascular leakage are prominent features of the radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) which follows cancerassociated thoracic irradiation. The mechanisms of RILI are incompletely understood and therapeutic strategies to limit RILI are currently unavailable. We established a murine model of radiation pneumonitis in order to assess mechanism-based therapies for RILI-induced inflammation and vascular barrier dysfunction. Based on prior studies, we investigated the therapeutic potential of simvastatin as a vascular barrier protective agent in RILI.

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Mathew B, Huang Y, Jacobson JR, Berdyshev E, Gerhold LM, Wang T, Moreno-Vinasco L, Lang G, Zhao Y, Chen CT, LaRiviere PJ, Mauceri H, Sammani S, Husain AN, Dudek SM, Natarajan V, Lussier YA, Weichselbaum RR, Garcia JG