Pugliese M, Durante M, Grossi GF, Monforti F, Orlando D, Ottolenghi A, Scampoli P, Gialanella G. Inactivation of individual mammalian cells by single alpha-particles.
Int J Radiat Biol 1997;
72:397-407. [PMID:
9343105 DOI:
10.1080/095530097143176]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE
To measure clonogenic death of Chinese hamster V79 cells following exposure to a defined number of 4.3 MeV alpha-particles (track-averaged LET = 105 keV/micron).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cells were irradiated at the radiobiological facility installed at the TTT-3 Tandem accelerator in Naples by using a 'Biostack' approach, which allows the positions of incident tracks relative to cells to be carefully determined. Subcellular structure was identified by fluorescence microscopy, while tracks were visualized by LR-115 solid state nuclear track detectors.
RESULTS
Particle hits in the cytoplasm did not significantly affect cell survival, yet survival probability decreased exponentially as a function of the number of nuclear traversals. Measured probability of surviving to exactly one 4.3 MeV alpha-particle traversal in the cell nucleus was 0.67 +/- 0.10. Inactivation cross-section was substantially higher than expected from conventional survival curves. However, folding of the data with Poisson statistics showed that survival level expected if a mean of one alpha-particle goes through a nucleus is higher than the measured value after exactly one particle traversal.
CONCLUSIONS
V79 cells have about 67% probability to survive a single alpha-particle traversal in the cell nucleus. Single-particle survival curves are consistent with conventional dose-survival relationships, once Poisson distribution of traversals is taken into account.
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