Objective To investigate whether the PI3K/AKT/Cdkn1a/GPX4 signaling axis participates in the pathogenesis of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) through the ferroptosis pathway. Methods An RIHD mouse model was established by irradiating C57BL/6J mice with 20 Gy X-rays. Transcriptomic sequencing, the FerrDb ferroptosis-related gene set, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis were used to identify hub genes associated with ferroptosis in RIHD. KEGG enrichment analysis was employed to determine key signaling pathways. An AC16 cardiomyocyte model of RIHD was constructed, and the optimal modeling conditions were determined using CCK-8 assays and flow cytometry. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and Western blotting were applied to validate the expression changes of key genes and pathways in cardiomyocytes. Results Compared with the control group, myocardial tissues from irradiated mice exhibited typical RIHD pathological alterations, including structural disorganization and degeneration. Bioinformatics analysis identified Cdkn1a and Ddit4 as potential hub genes, with the PI3K/AKT pathway as the key signaling pathway. The optimal conditions for establishing the RIHD cell model were determined to be 10 Gy irradiation and 48 hours of incubation. Cellular experiments confirmed that, compared with the control group (0 Gy), irradiated cardiomyocytes (10 Gy) showed significantly elevated CDKN1A expression (P < 0.01), inhibited phosphorylation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway (P < 0.05), downregulated GPX4 expression (P < 0.05), and induction of ferroptosis. Conclusion This study preliminarily clarifies the potential role of the PI3K/AKT/Cdkn1a/GPX4 signaling axis in regulating ferroptosis in RIHD cardiomyocytes, providing new therapeutic targets and strategies for the prevention and treatment of RIHD.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy has the advantage of regulating cytokines associated with liver fibrosis and is a candidate for the treatment of liver fibrosis in the future. This article summarizes the research advances in the role of TCM in regulating cytokines associated with liver fibrosis and points out that TCM has certain significance in blocking and reversing liver fibrosis by regulating related cytokines.