Abstract: Radiation-induced lung injury is a common complication of thoracic cancer radiotherapy. A lot of animal experiments and clinical studies have shown that ionizing radiationinduced lung injury is a complex process regulated by a variety of cytokines. The transcription factors including nuclear factor κB, MAPK and activator protein-1 are involved in radiation-induced lung injury by regulating the synthesis of a variety of inflammatory proteins. The flavonoids play a role in radiological protection by blocking the pathway of nuclear factor κB and activator protein-1.

Key words: Flavones, Radiation pneumonitis, NF-kappa B