Laser-Driven Ultrashort Pulsed Electron Beam Radiation at Doses of 0.5 and 1.0 Gy Induces Apoptosis in Human Fibroblasts

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 20; no. 20; p. 5140
• Main Authors: Babayan, Nelly, Grigoryan, Bagrat, Khondkaryan, Lusine, Tadevosyan, Gohar, Sarkisyan, Natalya, Grigoryan, Ruzanna, Apresyan, Lilit, Aroutiounian, Rouben, Vorobyeva, Natalia, Pustovalova, Margarita, Grekhova, Anna, Osipov, Andreyan N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17-10-2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Apoptosis - radiation effects; Cell death; Cell Survival - radiation effects; Cytogenetics; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; DNA damage; Electron beams; Experiments; Fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - radiation effects; Histones - genetics; Humans; ionizing radiation; Laser Therapy; Lasers; Lung - radiation effects; Micronuclei; Micronucleus Tests; Particle accelerators; Radiation; Radiation damage; Reproducibility; ultrashort pulsed electron beam; X-rays; γh2ax; apoptosis; micronuclei; ultrashort pulsed electron beam; γH2AX; ionizing radiation
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20205140

Rapidly evolving laser technologies have led to the development of laser-generated particle accelerators as an alternative to conventional facilities. However, the radiobiological characteristics need to be determined to enhance their applications in biology and medicine. In this study, the radiobiological effects of ultrashort pulsed electron beam (UPEB) and X-ray radiation in human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5 cell line) exposed to doses of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 Gy are compared. The changes of γH2AX foci number as a marker of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) were analyzed. In addition, the micronuclei induction and cell death via apoptosis were studied. We found that the biological action of UPEB-radiation compared to X-rays was characterized by significantly slower γH2AX foci elimination (with a dose of 1 Gy) and strong apoptosis induction (with doses of 0.5 and 1.0 Gy), accompanied by a slight increase in micronuclei formation (dose of 1 Gy). Our data suggest that UPEB radiation produces more complex DNA damage than X-ray radiation, leading to cell death rather than cytogenetic disturbance.