Cancer therapy-induced intestinal injury: Mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and management strategies

Figure 2 Mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced intestinal injury: Oxidative stress and apoptosis. Left: Chemotherapeutic agents induce oxidative stress through excessive reactive oxygen species production, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction, disruption of calcium ion homeostasis, and DNA damage. Right: Chemotherapeutic agents activate apoptotic pathways via Bax-mediated mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilisation, cytochrome c release, and cell cycle arrest, leading to activation of the caspase cascade and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells. ROS: Reactive oxygen species. Created using BioRender.