In vitro radiation-induced effects on rat tracheal epithelial cells. I) Different radiosensitivity of cell inactivation after alpha and gamma irradiations

• Published in: Journal of radiation research 2002-03, Vol.43 (1), p.27-34
• Main Authors: Kugel, Carole, Bailly, Isabelle, Tourdes, Françoise, Poncy, Jean-Luc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alpha Particles - adverse effects; Animals; Cell Survival - radiation effects; Cells, Cultured; Epithelial Cells - radiation effects; Gamma Rays - adverse effects; Linear Energy Transfer; Radiation Tolerance; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Space life sciences; Trachea - cytology; Trachea - radiation effects
• ISSN: 0449-3060
• DOI: 10.1269/jrr.43.27

In order to compare the radiotoxicity of alpha- and gamma-irradiations, primary cultures of tracheal epithelial cells from two rat strains, Sprague Dawley (SD) and Wistar Furth/Fisher F344 (WF/Fi) rats, were irradiated with 241Am alpha-particles or 60 Co gamma-rays. The survival ratio for each of the two rat strain cells appeared to be statistically different after high-LET irradiation. WF/Fi rat cells were 1.7-times more radiosensitive than SD rat cells, whereas no difference was observed following low-LET irradiation. A comparison of the cell survival yielded RBEs of 2.8 and 4.5 for SD and WF/Fi rat cells, respectively. As previously observed, with increasing LET of particles, the cell-survival curves approximate an exponential function of the dose. On the contrary, for low-LET, the survival curves showed a marked initial shoulder. This in vitro cellular model, using epithelial cells of the upper airway, provides a suitable system to estimate the mechanism involved in radiosensitivity after high-LET irradiation. The responses to radiation-induced lethal effects within a same type of cell were dependent on the irradiation parameters, but might be modulated by the individual sensitivity under genetic or epigenetic factor controls.