A step-by-step simulation code for estimating yields of water radiolysis species based on electron track-structure mode in the PHITS code

• Published in: Physics in medicine & biology 2024-02, Vol.69 (3), p.35005
• Main Authors: Matsuya, Yusuke, Yoshii, Yuji, Kusumoto, Tamon, Akamatsu, Ken, Hirata, Yuho, Sato, Tatsuhiko, Kai, Takeshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: DNA damage; electrons; Monte Carlo simulation; PHITS code; water radiolysis
• ISSN: 0031-9155; 1361-6560
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ad199b

Time-dependent yields of chemical products resulting from water radiolysis play a great role in evaluating DNA damage response after exposure to ionizing radiation. Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS) is a general-purpose Monte Carlo simulation code for radiation transport, which simulates atomic interactions originating from discrete energy levels of ionizations and electronic excitations as well as molecular excitations as physical stages. However, no chemical code for simulating water radiolysis products exists in the PHITS package. Here, we developed a chemical simulation code dedicated to the PHITS code, hereafter called code, which enables the calculation of the G values of water radiolysis species ( OH, e , H , H O etc.) by electron beams. The estimated G values during 1 μs are in agreement with the experimental ones and other simulations. This code also simulates the radiolysis in the presence of OH radical scavengers, such as tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and dimethyl sulfoxide. Thank to this feature, the contributions of direct and indirect effects on DNA damage induction under various scavenging capacities can be analyzed. This chemical code coupled with PHITS could contribute to elucidating the mechanism of radiation effects by connecting physical, physicochemical, and chemical processes.&#xD.