Determination of the time-dependent OH-yield by using a fluorescent probe. Application to heavy ion irradiation

Radiation Chemical Yields of 7-Hydroxy-Coumarin-3-Carboxylic Acid for Proton- and Carbon-Ion Beams at Ultra-High Dose Rates: Potential Roles in FLASH Effects

It has been observed that healthy tissues are spared at ultra-high dose rate (UHDR: >40 Gy/s), so called FLASH effect. To elucidate the mechanism of FLASH effect, we evaluate changes in radiation chemical yield (G value) of 7-hydroxy-coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (7OH-C3CA), which is formed by the reaction of hydroxyl radicals with coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (C3CA), under carbon ions (140 MeV/u) and protons (27.5 and 55 MeV) in a wide-dose-rate range up to 100 Gy/s. The relative G value, which is the G value at each dose rate normalized by that at the conventional dose (CONV: 0.1 Gy/s >), 140 MeV/u carbon-ion beam is almost equivalent to 27.5 and 55 MeV proton beams. This finding implies that UHDR irradiations using carbon-ion beams have a potential to spare healthy tissues. Furthermore, we evaluate the G value of 7OH-C3CA under the de-oxygenated condition to investigate roles of oxygen to the generation of 7OH-C3CA effect. The G value of 7OH-C3CA under the de-oxygenated condition is lower than that under the oxygenated condition. The G value of 7OH-C3CA under the de-oxygenated condition is higher than those under UHDR irradiations. By direct measurements of the oxygen concentration during 55 MeV proton irradiations, the oxygen concentration drops by 0.1%/Gy, which is independent of the dose rate. When the oxygen concentration directly affects to yields of 7OH-C3CA, the rate of decrease in the oxygen concentration may be correlated with that of decrease in the G value of 7OH-C3CA. However, the reduction rate of G value under UHDR is significantly higher than the oxygen consumption. This finding implied that the influence of the reaction between water radiolysis species formed by neighborhood tracks could be strongly related to the mechanisms of UHDR effect.

Estimation of biological effect of Cu-64 radiopharmaceuticals with Geant4-DNA simulation

The aim of this work is to estimate the biological effect of targeted radionuclide therapy using Cu-64, which is a well-known Auger electron emitter. To do so, we evaluate the absorbed dose of emitted particles from Cu-64 using the Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo simulation toolkit. The contribution of beta particles to the absorbed dose is higher than that of Auger electrons. The simulation result agrees with experimental ones evaluated using coumarin-3-carboxylic acid chemical dosimeter. The simulation result is also in good agreement with previous ones obtained using fluorescent nuclear track detector. From the results of present simulation (i.e., absorbed dose estimation) and previous biological experiments using two cell lines (i.e., evaluation of survival curves), we have estimated the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of Cu-64 emitted particles on CHO wild-type cells and xrs5 cells. The RBE of xrs5 cells exposed to Cu-64 is almost equivalent to that with gamma rays and protons and C ions. This result indicates that the radiosensitivity of xrs5 cells is independent of LET. In comparison to this, the RBE on CHO wild-type cells exposed to Cu-64 is significantly higher than gamma rays and almost equivalent to that irradiated with C ions with a linear energy transfer of 70 keV/μm.

Dose Rate Effects in Fluorescence Chemical Dosimeters Exposed to Picosecond Electron Pulses: An Accurate Measurement of Low Doses at High Dose Rates

The development of ultra-intense electron pulse for applications needs to be accompanied by the implementation of a practical dosimetry system. In this study four different systems were investigated as dosimeters for low doses with a very high-dose-rate source. First, the effects of ultra-short pulses were investigated for the yields of the Fricke dosimeter based on acidic solutions of ferrous sulfate; it was established that the yields were not significantly affected by the high dose rates, so the Fricke dosimeter system was used as a reference. Then, aqueous solutions of three compounds as fluorescence chemical dosimeters were utilized, each operated at a different solution pH: terephthalic acid - basic, trimesic acid - acidic, and coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (C3CA) - neutral. Fluorescence chemical dosimeters offer an attractive alternative to chemical dosimeters based on optical absorption for measuring biologically relevant low doses because of their higher sensitivity. The effects of very intense dose rate (TGy/ s) from pulses of fast electrons generated by a picosecond linear accelerator on the chemical yields of fluorescence chemical dosimeters were investigated at low peak doses (<20 Gy) and compared with yields determined under low-dose-rate irradiation from a 60 Co gamma-ray source (mGy/s). For the terephthalate and the trimesic acid dosimeters changes in the yields were not detected within the estimated (∼10%) precision of the experiments, but, due to the complexity of the mechanism of the hydroxyl radical initiated reactions in solutions of the relevant aromatic compounds, significant reductions of the chemical yield (-60%) were observed when the C3CA dosimeter was irradiated with the ultra-short pulses.

Quantitative estimation of track segment yields of water radiolysis species under heavy ions around Bragg peak energies using Geant4-DNA

We evaluate the track segment yield G' of typical water radiolysis products (e_aq^-, ^·OH and H₂O₂) under heavy ions (He, C and Fe ions) using a Monte Carlo simulation code in the Geant4-DNA. Furthermore, we reproduce experimental results of ^·OH of He and C ions around the Bragg peak energies (< 6 MeV/u). In the relatively high energy region (e.g., > 10 MeV/u), the simulation results using Geant4-DNA have agreed with experimental results. However, the G-values of water radiolysis species have not been properly evaluated around the Bragg peak energies, at which high ionizing density can be expected. Around the Bragg peak energy, dense continuous secondary products are generated, so that it is necessary to simulate the radical-radical reaction more accurately. To do so, we added the role of secondary products formed by irradiation. Consequently, our simulation results are in good agreement with experimental results and previous simulations not only in the high-energy region but also around the Bragg peak. Several future issues are also discussed regarding the roles of fragmentation and multi-ionization to realize more realistic simulations.

Gamma rays as an innovative tool for synthesizing conducting copolymers with improved properties

Radiation chemistry was used as an alternative methodology for synthesizing conducting copolymers in water and dichloromethane.

Significant changes in yields of 7-hydroxy-coumarin-3-carboxylic acid produced under FLASH radiotherapy conditions

FLASH radiotherapy appears to kill off tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues, by irradiation at ultra high dose rate (>40 Gy s⁻¹). The present study aims to clarify the mechanism of the sparing effect by proton irradiation under the FLASH conditions from a viewpoint of radiation chemistry. To do so, we evaluate radiation chemical yields (G values) of 7-hydroxy-coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (7OH–C3CA), which is produced by water radiolysis using coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (C3CA) solution as a radical scavenger of hydroxyl radicals. We shoot 27.5 MeV protons in the dose rate ranging from 0.05 to 160 Gy s⁻¹. The recombination process of hydroxyl radicals produced is followed by varying the concentration of C3CA from 0.2 to 20 mM, which corresponds to the scavenging time scale from 7.1 to 714 ns. The G value of 7OH–C3CA produced decreases with increasing dose rate on the same scavenging time scale. Additionally, the trend of the relative G value normalized at a scavenging time scale of 100 ns, where radical–radical reaction subsides, is consistent in the examined dose rate range. This finding implies that G values of 7OH–C3CA produced reduce with increasing dose rate due to the oxygen depletion. We experimentally present that the sparing effect for healthy tissues would be seen even with a proton beam under the FLASH conditions due to the depletion of oxygen.

Yield of 7-hydroxy-coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (7OH–C3CA) significantly decreases at FLASH condition with the dose rate of >40 Gy s⁻¹, compared to that at conventional condition of 0.05 Gy s⁻¹, due to the oxygen depletion in the solution.

Degradation of organic contaminants through the activation of oxygen using zero valent copper coupled with sodium tripolyphosphate under neutral conditions

In this study, sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) was used to promote the removal of organic pollutants in a zero-valent copper (ZVC)/O₂ system under neutral conditions for the first time. 20 mg/L p-nitrophenol (PNP) can be completely decomposed within 120 min in the ZVC/O₂/STPP system. The PNP degradation process followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and the degradation rate of PNP gradually increased upon the decreasing ZVC particle size. The optimal pH of the reaction system was 5.0. Our mechanism investigation showed that Cu⁺ generated by ZVC corrosion was the main reducing agent for the activation of O₂ to produce ROS. ·OH was identified as the only ROS formed during the degradation of PNP and its production pathway was the double-electron activation of O₂ (O₂→H₂O₂→·OH). In this process, STPP did not only promote the release of Cu⁺ through its complexation, but also promoted the production of ·OH by reducing the redox potential of Cu²⁺/Cu⁺. In addition, we could initiate and terminate the reaction by controlling the pH. At pH < 8.1, ZVC/O₂/STPP could continuously degrade organic pollutants; at pH > 8.1, the reaction was terminated. STPP was recycled to continuously promote the corrosion of ZVC and O₂ activation as long as the pH was <8.1. This study provided a new and efficient way for O₂ activation and organic contaminants removal.

Soft X-ray Radiation and Monte Carlo Simulations: Good Tools to Describe the Radiation Chemistry of Sub-keV Electrons

The description of the biological effects of ionizing radiation requires a good knowledge of the dose deposition processes at both the cellular and molecular scales. However, experimental studies on the energy deposition specificity of sub-keV electrons, produced by most radiations, including high-energy photons and heavy ions, are scarce. Soft X-rays (0.2-2 keV) are here used to probe the physical and physico-chemical events occurring upon exposure of liquid water to sub-keV electrons. Liquid water samples were irradiated with a monochromatic photon beam at the SOLEIL synchrotron. Hydroxyl radical quantification was conducted through HO^• scavenging using benzoate to form fluorescent hydroxybenzoate. The yields of HO^• radicals exhibit a minimum around 1.5 keV, in good agreement with indirect observation. Moreover, they are relatively independent of the benzoate concentration in the range investigated, which corresponds to scavenging times of 170 ns to 170 ps. These results provide evidence that sub-keV electrons behave as high linear energy transfer particles, since they are able to deposit tens to hundreds of electronvolts in nanometric volumes.

Yields of primary species in the low-linear energy transfer radiolysis of water in the temperature range of 25–700 °C

Monte Carlo track chemistry simulations were used to calculate the yields (G values) for the radical (e_aq⁻, H˙, ˙OH) and molecular (H₂, H₂O₂) species formed in low-LET water radiolysis from ∼1 ps to 1 ms between 25 and 700 °C, at 25 MPa pressure.

Radiation Chemical Yield of Hydroxyl Radicals for Accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy: Dose Assessment of 10B(n,α)7Li Reaction Using Coumarin-3-Carboxilic Solution

Evaluation of the characteristics of accelerator-based thermal neutron fields is recognized as an important issue when discussing the effectiveness of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). In this study, we propose that the radiation chemical yield (G value) of hydroxyl radicals (G_oh•) can be considered a universal parameter for the description of the accelerator-based thermal neutron field. The G_oh• of the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction was quantitatively evaluated using an aqueous coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (3CCA) solution, and was discriminated from that of contaminations (i.e., γ rays and fast neutrons). The G_oh• of the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction was 0.107 ± 0.004 OH•/100 eV, which is almost equivalent to that exposed to α particles with an energy of 6.0 MeV. Since the G_oh• of γ rays from a ⁶⁰Co source is 2.03 ± 0.05 OH•/100 eV, this lower value suggests that indirect action by the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction is not dominant in BNCT. However, our results indicate that one can assess the ⁶⁰Co equivalent dose of the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction in water from the G_oh• derived using aqueous 3CCA solution in the accelerator-based thermal neutron field.

Validation and investigation of reactive species yields of Geant4-DNA chemistry models

PURPOSE

Indirect biological damage due to reactive species produced in water radiolysis reactions is responsible for the majority of biological effect for low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Modeling water radiolysis and the subsequent interactions of reactive species, as well as track structures, is essential to model radiobiology on the microscale. Recently, chemistry models have been developed for Geant4-DNA to be used in combination with the comprehensive existing physics models. In the current work, the first detailed, independent, in silico validation of all species yields with published experimental observations and comparison with other radiobiological simulations is presented. Additionally, the effect of LET of protons and heavier ions on reactive species yield in the model was examined, as well as the completeness of the chemical reactions following the radiolysis within the time after physical interactions simulated in the model.

METHODS

Yields over time of reactive species were simulated for water radiolysis by incident electrons, protons, alpha particles, and ions with various LETs using Geant4 and RITRACKS simulation tools. Water dissociation and recombination was simulated using Geant4 to determine the completeness of chemical reactions at the end of the simulation. Yield validation was performed by comparing yields simulated using Geant4 with experimental observations and other simulations. Validation was performed for all species for low LET radiation and the solvated electron and hydroxyl radical for high LET ions.

RESULTS

It was found that the Geant4-DNA chemistry yields were generally in good agreement with experimental observations and other simulations. However, the Geant4-DNA yields for the hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide at the end of the chemistry stage were found to be respectively considerably higher and lower than the experimentally observed yields. Increasing the LET of incident hadrons increased the yield of secondary species and decreased the yield of primary species. The effect of LET on the yield of the hydroxyl radical at 100 ns simulated with Geant4 was in good agreement with experimental measurements. Additionally, by the end of the simulation only 40% of dissociated water molecules had been recombined and the rate of recombination was slowing.

CONCLUSIONS

The yields simulated using Geant4 are within reasonable agreement with experimental observations. Higher LET radiation corresponds with increased yields of secondary species and decreased yields of primary species. These trends combined with the LET having similar effects on the 100 ns hydroxyl radical yield for Geant4 and experimental measurements indicate that Geant4 accurately models the effect of LET on radiolysis yields. The limited recombination within the modeled chemistry stage and the slowing rate of recombination at the end of the stage indicate potential long-range indirect biological damage.

Dosimetry as a Catch in Radiobiology Experiments

Experimental radiobiological studies in which the effects of ionizing radiation on a biological model are examined often highlight the biological aspects while missing detailed descriptions of the geometry, sample and dosimetric methods used. Such omissions can hinder the reproducibility and comparability of the experimental data. An application based on the Geant4 simulation toolkit was developed to design experiments using a biological solution placed in a microtube. The application was used to demonstrate the influence of the type of microtube, sample volume and energy of a proton source on the dose distribution across the sample, and on the mean dose in the whole sample. The results shown here are for samples represented by liquid water in the 0.4-, 1.5- and 2.0-ml microtubes irradiated with 20, 30 and 100 MeV proton beams. The results of this work demonstrate that the mean dose and homogeneity of the dose distribution within the sample strongly depend on all three parameters. Furthermore, this work shows how the dose uncertainty propagates into the scored primary DNA damages in plasmid DNA studies using agarose gel electrophoresis. This application is provided freely to assist users in verifying their experimental setup prior to the experiment.

Analysis of redox states of protic and aprotic solutions irradiated by low linear energy transfer carbon-ion beams using a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical

The redox states of protic and aprotic solutions were evaluated after carbon-ion irradiation.

At the crossroad of photochemistry and radiation chemistry: formation of hydroxyl radicals in diluted aqueous solutions exposed to ultraviolet radiation

Formation yields of ˙OH radicals were precisely determined in aqueous solutions of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid and ferrous sulfate (i.e., Fricke dosimeter) exposed to 253.7 nm radiation delivered from a continuous source. Quantum yield of ˙OH radicals was determined as ∼0.08, i.e., roughly one out of twelve photons, efficiently absorbed in UV-illuminated solutions, produced one ˙OH radical. Energetically, a water molecule should undergo a correlated action of at least two 4.9 eV photons delivering enough energy for direct H-OH dissociation (5.0-5.4 eV). We suggest a mechanism based on an interaction of two water molecules, both in long-living triplet states. An intermolecular transfer of excitation energy provided a sufficient amount of energy for the dissociation of one water molecule into ˙OH and H˙ radicals. In an aqueous solution of phospholipids, quantum yields of hydroperoxides formed under these irradiation conditions decreased with total effectively absorbed energy (i.e. a dose), similar to the radiation chemical yields obtained during an exposure to ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays from radionuclide sources. Under 253.7 nm irradiation, one ˙OH radical causes a peroxidation of 34 phospholipid molecules. This implicates chain mechanism of the reaction.

A Novel High-Throughput Approach to Measure Hydroxyl Radicals Induced by Airborne Particulate Matter

Oxidative stress is one of the key mechanisms linking ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure with various adverse health effects. The oxidative potential of PM has been used to characterize the ability of PM induced oxidative stress. Hydroxyl radical (•OH) is the most destructive radical produced by PM. However, there is currently no high-throughput approach which can rapidly measure PM-induced •OH for a large number of samples with an automated system. This study evaluated four existing molecular probes (disodium terephthalate, 3′-p-(aminophenyl)fluorescein, coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, and sodium benzoate) for their applicability to measure •OH induced by PM in a high-throughput cell-free system using fluorescence techniques, based on both our experiments and on an assessment of the physicochemical properties of the probes reported in the literature. Disodium terephthalate (TPT) was the most applicable molecular probe to measure •OH induced by PM, due to its high solubility, high stability of the corresponding fluorescent product (i.e., 2-hydroxyterephthalic acid), high yield compared with the other molecular probes, and stable fluorescence intensity in a wide range of pH environments. TPT was applied in a high-throughput format to measure PM (NIST 1648a)-induced •OH, in phosphate buffered saline. The formed fluorescent product was measured at designated time points up to 2 h. The fluorescent product of TPT had a detection limit of 17.59 nM. The soluble fraction of PM contributed approximately 76.9% of the •OH induced by total PM, and the soluble metal ions of PM contributed 57.4% of the overall •OH formation. This study provides a promising cost-effective high-throughput method to measure •OH induced by PM on a routine basis.

Contribution of indirect effects to clustered damage in DNA irradiated with protons

Protons are the dominant particles both in galactic cosmic rays and in solar particle events and, furthermore, proton irradiation becomes increasingly used in tumour treatment. It is believed that complex DNA damage is the determining factor for the consequent cellular response to radiation. DNA plasmid pBR322 was irradiated at U120-M cyclotron with 30 MeV protons and treated with two Escherichia coli base excision repair enzymes. The yields of SSBs and DSBs were analysed using agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA has been irradiated in the presence of hydroxyl radical scavenger (coumarin-3-carboxylic acid) in order to distinguish between direct and indirect damage of the biological target. Pure scavenger solution was used as a probe for measurement of induced OH· radical yields. Experimental OH· radical yield kinetics was compared with predictions computed by two theoretical models-RADAMOL and Geant4-DNA. Both approaches use Geant4-DNA for description of physical stages of radiation action, and then each of them applies a distinct model for description of the pre-chemical and chemical stage.

First observation of HO˙ reactivity in water under high energy ions at elevated temperature

This communication reports the first observation of the formation of HO˙ produced under two different High energy ion beams, (18)O(8+) and (36)Ar(18+) having Linear Energy Transfers (LET) of 65 and 350 eV nm(-1) respectively, at temperatures up to 411 K. Both scavenging with various concentrations of SCN(-) and heavy-ion pulse radiolysis methods are used with an original temperature and pressure regulated optical cell. Deconvolution of kinetics is used to analyze the evolution of HO˙ track segment yields as a function of time and temperature. It takes care of involving the ionic strength effect and Arrhenius expression in the rate constants correction. The results show a fast decay of HO˙ yields in the 10(-10)-10(-8) s range which denotes an efficient reactivity of this species in the track structure of the ion beam. This effect is enhanced with the lowest LET of O(8+). Increasing the temperature also accelerates the decays for both ions. These observations are discussed in terms of temperature activation of reactions and the track structure exhibiting the formation of HO˙ in a "low LET" penumbra around the ionization tracks. HO˙ track segment yields at 100 ns, of 0.4 × 10(-7) and 0.6 × 10(-7) mol J(-1), respectively for 350 and 65 eV nm(-1), are not affected by temperature.

Clustered DNA damage on subcellular level: effect of scavengers

Clustered DNA damages are induced by ionizing radiation, particularly of high linear energy transfer (LET). Compared to isolated DNA damage sites, their biological effects can be more severe. We investigated a clustered DNA damage induced by high LET radiation (C 290 MeV u(-1) and Fe 500 MeV u(-1)) in pBR322 plasmid DNA. The plasmid is dissolved in pure water or in aqueous solution of one of the three scavengers (coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, dimethylsulfoxide, and glycylglycine). The yield of double strand breaks (DSB) induced in the DNA plasmid-scavenger system by heavy ion radiation was found to decrease with increasing scavenging capacity due to reaction with hydroxyl radical, linearly with high correlation coefficients. The yield of non-DSB clusters was found to occur twice as much as the DSB. Their decrease with increasing scavenging capacity had lower linear correlation coefficients. This indicates that the yield of non-DSB clusters depends on more factors, which are likely connected to the chemical properties of individual scavengers.

Experimental and theoretical study of the inclusion complexes of 3-carboxycoumarin acid with β- and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrins

The association process of a host-guest system, cyclodextrins (CyD) - 3-carboxycoumarin acid (3CCA) was followed by means of UV-vis, circular dichroism and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopies in buffer solution at pH=1. The experimental data were analyzed in order to get information on the stoichiometry, the equilibrium constants and the geometry of the inclusion complexes. In the circular dichroism spectra, a positive induced signal was obtained reflecting that the guest penetrates the cavity in such a way that the transition moment of the electronic band is quasi parallel to the host main axis. The experimental data are supported by the DFT and TDDFT (B3LYP/6-31G) calculations performed on the isolated ligand and by TDDFT (ZINDO) calculations carried out on the supramolecular ligand-cyclodextrin system.