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Theranostics 2018
Intragland Shh gene delivery mitigated irradiation-induced hyposalivation in a miniature pig modelDOI: 10.7150/thno.26509 Keywords: hyposalivation, Hedgehog signaling, radiotherapy, gene therapy, pig model Abstract: Irreversible hypofunction of salivary glands is common in head and neck cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy and can only be temporarily relieved with current treatments. We found recently in mouse models that transient activation of Hedgehog pathway following irradiation rescued salivary gland function by preserving salivary stem/progenitor cells, parasympathetic innervation and microvessels. Due to huge differences between salivary glands of rodents and humans, to examine the translational potential of this approach, we evaluated effects of Shh gene transfer in a miniature pig model of irradiation-induced hyposalivation.
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