Dosimetry of a 238Pu-based alpha-particle irradiator and its biological application in a study of the bystander effect.

A better understanding of the non-targeted (bystander) effects of radiation may have important implications with regards to radiation risk assessment, radiation protection, and targeted cancer therapy. In the present study, the direct and bystander effects of α-particle irradiation in immortalized human fibroblasts (F11hTERT) and breast cancer cells (MCF-7) was investigated. To ensure a more accurate dose delivery to these different cell lines, an existing 238Pu α-particle irradiator was improved by the addition of a collimator and the development of an analytical equation for calculation of the radiation dose to cells. The mean dose rate and α-particle fluence were calculated for each cell line by taking into consideration the size of their nuclei. Bystander effect experiments were performed by transferring medium from irradiated to unirradiated cells and by measuring micronucleus formation in the cells. Both the immortalized human fibroblasts and the breast cancer cells displayed a bystander effect. In conclusion, the broad-beam α-particle irradiator improved in this study represents a useful tool in the investigation of direct and non-targeted effects of α-particle radiation.

A (238)Pu irradiator for exposure of cultured cells with alpha-radiation: construction, calibration and dosimetry.

An alpha-particle irradiator that can facilitate investigations of alpha-radiation effects on human cells in radiation protection, carcinogenesis and radioimmunotherapy was constructed. The irradiator was based on a 1.3 GBq (238)Pu source, housed in a stainless steel tube flushed with helium. Radiation provided by (238)Pu consists mainly of alpha-particles with energy of 5.5 MeV. The alpha-particle fluence and energy spectra were measured with a silicon semiconductor detector. Monte Carlo simulations were used to estimate the mean number of alpha-particles and the mean absorbed alpha-particle dose to cells for various irradiation times and distances between cells and source. There was a linear dependence between exposure time and alpha-particle fluence for exposure times above 1s. The alpha-particle activity concentration varied with a factor 2.7 over the source area, while the variation in energy peak position was <4%. At the cell nucleus position and with a distance of 45 mm between the source and the mylar dish surface, the alpha-fluence was 4.6 x 10(4)counts/(mm(2)s), the average incident alpha-particle energy was 2.5 MeV and the average linear energy transfer was 167 keV/microm. The average dose rate to the cells, with 5 microm diameter nucleus, was 1.2 Gy/s. The (238)Pu alpha-particle irradiator is feasible for irradiation of cells and it can be used for studies of both direct effects and bystander effects of alpha-radiation.