Oxygen enhances lethal effect of high-intensity, ultrashort electrical pulses

• Published in: Bioelectromagnetics Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 221 - 225
• Main Authors: Walker III, Kerfoot, Pakhomova, Olga N., Kolb, Juergen, Schoenbach, Karl S., Stuck, Bruce E., Murphy, Michael R., Pakhomov, Andrei G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.04.2006
• Subjects: Apoptosis - drug effects; Apoptosis - radiation effects; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cell Survival - radiation effects; cytotoxicity; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Electromagnetic Fields; Humans; Jurkat Cells; nanosecond pulses; Oxygen - administration & dosage; Radiation Dosage; Radiation Tolerance - drug effects; Radiation Tolerance - physiology; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents - administration & dosage; radiomodification; U937 Cells
• ISSN: 0197-8462; 1521-186X
• DOI: 10.1002/bem.20200

The study explored the effect of ambient oxygen on mammalian cell survival after exposure to 10 ns duration, high voltage electrical pulses (nsEP, 80–90 or 120–130 kV/cm; 200–400 pulses per exposure). Cell samples were equilibrated with pure nitrogen, atmospheric air, or pure oxygen prior to the nsEP treatment and were returned to the incubator (air + 5% CO2) shortly after the exposure. The experiments established that survival of hypoxic Jurkat and U937 cells exceeded that of air‐equilibrated controls about twofold (P < .01). Conversely, saturation of the medium with oxygen prior to exposure decreased Jurkat cell survival about 1.5 times, P < .01. Attenuation of the cytotoxic effect under hypoxic conditions resembled a well‐known effect of oxygen on cell killing by sparsely ionizing radiations and may be indicative of the similarity of underlying cell damage mechanisms. Bioelectromagnetics 27:221–225, 2006. Published 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.