Fig. 4

Changes in intracellular components in fibrosis. A Ionizing radiation promotes fibrosis by generating ROS and disrupting the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD and GSH. B Ionizing radiation can alter intracellular glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism pathways through metabolic reprogramming, thereby promoting fibrosis. C DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation can result in large amounts of DNA fragmentation. These free DNA fragments activate the cGAS/STING pathway and promote fibrosis. D The ubiquitin–proteasome pathway and the FAT-10 proteasome pathway mediate the degradation of key fibrosis signaling molecules such as Smad3 and β-catenin, thereby promoting fibrosis. (Figure was created with https://www.Biorender.com)