Hamsters provide an excellent model for radiation-induced fibrosis because of several biological similarities to humans. One distinct advantage of the model is that the cheek pouch is pliable and can be extracted, allowing for radiation to be targeted to the cheek pouch while the rest of the animal is shielded. The result is formation of fibrotic tissue on the cheek pouch approximately 16 days following radiation. Primary end points in this model include collagen content measurement and histology.
Animals receive a targeted radiation dose of 40 Gy to the cheek pouch on Day 0. At Day 0, 16, and 28 cheek tissue is collected and processed for histopathology assessment. Representative Masson’s trichrome-stained samples from Day 0 (A, B), Day 16 (C, D), and Day 28 (E, F) after radiation.
