Perspective on biological dosimetry from the aspect of individual radiosensitivity: the context of DNA double-strand breaks and chromosomal aberrations

ESR spectrometry: a future-oriented tool for dosimetry and dating

ESR spectroscopy is currently taking root as a key technology in dosimetry, dating and imaging. In dosimetry, it competes with cytometry in the fields of biological dosimetry and retrospective dosimetry, leads in high-level reference and routine dosimetry, is high-ranking among the methods to identify radiation preserved foods, represents a method of choice to date geological, archaeological and paleontological materials back millions of years, and has demonstrated capacity for imaging. Further scientific and technological progress as predicted in the recent past (Appl. Radiat. Isot. 52 (2000) 1023) is reviewed here. Additionally, the review is expanded to include international reports and recommendations on ESR dosimetry and dose reconstruction, under way at the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the International Organisation of Standards (ISO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU). Emphasis is placed on interpretation of tooth enamel doses in terms of organ and effective doses, using CT-based virtual humans. The future of EPR spectroscopy for in situ dose measurements is noted, depicting a non-destructive in vivo dosimetry applicable directly to individuals, but also to hominid and animal fossils for direct dating.

In vitro, in vivo, and in silico analyses of the antitumor activity of 2-(4-amino-3-methylphenyl)-5-fluorobenzothiazoles

Phortress is a novel, potent, and selective experimental antitumor agent. Its mechanism of action involves induction of CYP1A1-catalyzed biotransformation of 2-(4-amino-3-methylphenyl)-5-fluorobenzothiazole (5F 203) to generate electrophilic species, which covalently bind to DNA, exacting lethal damage to sensitive tumor cells, in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we investigate the effects of DNA adduct formation on cellular DNA integrity and progression through cell cycle and examine whether a relevant pharmacodynamic end point may be exploited to probe the clinical mechanism of action of Phortress and predict tumor response. Single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) was applied to quantify DNA damage and cell cycle analyses conducted upon 5F 203 treatment of benzothiazole-sensitive MCF-7 and inherently resistant MDA-MB-435 breast carcinoma cells. Following treatment of xenograft-bearing mice and mice possessing hollow fiber implants containing MCF-7 or MDA-MB-435 cells with Phortress (20 mg/kg, i.p., 24 hours), tumor cells and xenografts were recovered for analyses by SCGE. Dose- and time-dependent DNA single and double strand breaks occurred exclusively in sensitive cells following treatment with 5F 203 in vitro (10 nmol/L–10 μmol/L; 24–72 hours). In vivo, Phortress-sensitive and Phortress-resistant tumor cells were distinct; moreover, DNA damage in xenografts, following treatment of mice with Phortress, could be determined. Interrogation of the mechanism of action of 5F 203 in silico by self-organizing map-based cluster analyses revealed modulation of phosphatases and kinases associated with cell cycle regulation, corroborating observations of selective cell cycle perturbation by 5F 203 in sensitive cells. By conducting SCGE, tumor sensitivity to Phortress, an agent currently undergoing clinical evaluation, may be determined.