Dose-rate plays a significant role in synchrotron radiation X-ray-induced damage of rodent testes

• Published in: International journal of physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 140 - 145
• Main Authors: Chen, Heyu, Wang, Ban, Wang, Caixia, Cao, Wei, Zhang, Jie, Ma, Yingxin, Hong, Yunyi, Fu, Shen, Wu, Fan, Ying, Weihai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States e-Century Publishing Corporation 2016
• Subjects: Original; rodent testes; Synchrotron radiation X-ray; dose-rate; tissue damage
• ISSN: 1944-8171; 1944-8171

Synchrotron radiation (SR) X-ray has significant potential for applications in medical imaging and cancer treatment. However, the mechanisms underlying SR X-ray-induced tissue damage remain unclear. Previous studies on regular X-ray-induced tissue damage have suggested that dose-rate could affect radiation damage. Because SR X-ray has exceedingly high dose-rate compared to regular X-ray, it remains to be determined if dose-rate may affect SR X-ray-induced tissue damage. We used rodent testes as a model to investigate the role of dose-rate in SR X-ray-induced tissue damage. One day after SR X-ray irradiation, we determined the effects of the irradiation of the same dosage at two different dose-rates, 0.11 Gy/s and 1.1 Gy/s, on TUNEL signals, caspase-3 activation and DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) of the testes. Compared to those produced by the irradiation at 0.11 Gy/s, irradiation at 1.1 Gy/s produced higher levels of DSBs, TUNEL signals, and caspase-3 activation in the testes. Our study has provided the first evidence suggesting that dose-rate could be a significant factor in SR X-ray-induced tissue damage, which may establish a valuable base for utilizing this factor to manipulate the tissue damage in SR X-ray-based medical applications.