Radiation-induced oral mucositis hamster model using a linear accelerator enhances clinical relevance of preclinical studies for treatment strategy investigation.

Translational animal models for oral mucositis (OM) are necessary to simulate and assess the bioclinical effects and response in humans. These models should simulate high levels of radiation exposure that leads to oxidative stress and inflammatory-initiated tissue changes. Hamster models have been extensively studied to observe pathological effects of radiation exposure and help in the development of effective treatments.