Dermatitis is an inflammatory condition of the skin often occurring as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation during radiation therapy for a variety of malignancies. Chronic radiation-induced dermatitis occurs over a longer period of time and involves irreversible and progressive fibrosis. Ionizing radiation results in DNA damage leading to cell death in addition to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). At BioModels, acute radiation dermatitis is induced in mice using a single bolus of acute radiation (x-ray). Animals are monitored daily and evaluated for overall health and survival in addition to dermatitis severity over the course of the study. Peak disease typically occurs between Day 12 and Day 14, with disease persisting through the final evaluation which typically includes histopathology.

• Advantages: good for screening potential drug candidates, consistent disease incidence.
• Disadvantages: acute model uses a single high dose of radiation.

• BALB/c Mice

• Percent weight change
• Survival
• In-life dermatitis evaluation
• Terminal histopathology and/or IHC analyses

• Tissue localized protein analyses
• Peripheral lymphoid organ immunophenotyping
• Gene expression
• Custom assays