The vascular endothelium is a hot spot in the response to radiation therapy for both tumors and normal tissues. To improve patient outcomes, interpretable systemic hypotheses are needed to help radiobiologists and radiation oncologists propose endothelial targets that could protect normal tissues from the adverse effects of radiation therapy and/or enhance its antitumor potential. To this end, we captured the kinetics of multi-omics layers—i.e. miRNome, targeted transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome—in irradiated primary human endothelial cells cultured in vitro. We then designed a strategy of deep learning as in convolutional graph networks that facilitates unsupervised high-level feature extraction of important omics data to learn how ionizing radiation-induced endothelial dysfunction may evolve over time. Last, we present experimental data showing that some of the features identified using our approach are involved in the alteration of angiogenesis by ionizing radiation.

Over one century after its first military use on the battlefield, sulfur mustard (SM) remains a threatening agent. Due to the absence of an antidote and specific treatment, the management of SM-induced lesions, particularly on the skin and eyes, still represents a challenge. Current therapeutic management is mainly limited to symptomatic and supportive care, pain relief, and prevention of infectious complications. New strategies are needed to accelerate healing and optimize the repair of the function and appearance of damaged tissues. Hydrogels have been shown to be suitable for healing severe burn wounds. Because the same gravity of lesions is observed in SM victims, hydrogels could be relevant dressings to improve wound healing of SM-induced skin and ocular injuries. In this article, we review how hydrogel dressings may be beneficial for improving the wound healing of SM-induced injuries, with special emphasis placed on their suitability as drug delivery devices on SM-induced skin and ocular lesions.

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a highly potent alkylating vesicant agent and remains a relevant threat to both civilians and military personnel. The eyes are the most sensitive organ after airborne SM exposure, causing ocular injuries with no antidote or specific therapeutics available. In order to identify relevant biomarkers and to obtain a deeper understanding of the underlying biochemical events, we performed an untargeted metabolomics analysis using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry of plasma samples from New Zealand white rabbits ocularly exposed to vapors of SM. Metabolic profiles (332 unique metabolites) from SM-exposed (n = 16) and unexposed rabbits (n = 8) were compared at different time intervals from 1 to 28 days. The observed time-dependent changes in metabolic profiles highlighted the profound dysregulation of the sulfur amino acids, the phenylalanine, the tyrosine and tryptophan pathway, and the polyamine and purine biosynthesis, which could reflect antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Taurine and 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine (Dopa) seem to be specifically related to SM exposure and correspond well with the different phases of ocular damage, while the dysregulation of adenosine, polyamines, and acylcarnitines might be related to ocular neovascularization. Additionally, neither cysteine, N-acetylcysteine, or guanine SM adducts were detected in the plasma of exposed rabbits at any time point. Overall, our study provides an unprecedented view of the plasma metabolic changes post-SM ocular exposure, which may open up the development of potential new treatment strategies.

Development of nucleolipid (NL) as a low molecular weight oleogelator (LMWO) enables stabilization of thixotropic medium chain triglyceride-based oleogels and oil-in-water nanoemulsions.

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a chemical blistering warfare agent for which there exists no specific treatment or antidote. Almost 90 % of exposed victims show ocular lesions. Indeed, eyes are the most sensitive organs to airborne exposure. To improve medical care for victims by offering them a prognosis of lesion severity, we evaluated different parameters to predict the severity of SM-induced ocular lesions in a rabbit model. We followed the procedure for SM vapor exposure only on the right cornea of female New Zealand white rabbits using vial caps. Macroscopic eye observations and standardized measurements were performed on the anterior and posterior segments until D35 post-exposure. We set up a severity score based on non-invasive anterior segment observations and measurements, which led to the identification of two subgroups of SM-exposed rabbits: rabbits with severe and moderate ocular lesions. This severity score could be helpful in predicting the progression of SM-induced ocular injuries since subgroups split as early as D7. Our score can thus be used to investigate predictive SM ocular biomarkers and to test new therapeutics.