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Effect of intermittent low-dose irradiation on the radiotherapy efficiency for MDA-MB-231 human breast adenocarcinoma cell line

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Journal of Radiation Oncology

Abstract

Introduction

Despite the fact that high-dose radiotherapy is a main therapeutic modality in cancer treatment, recent evidence suggests that it might confer radioresistance. Hyper-radiosensitivity (HRS) is one of the important biological effects of low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) in mammalian cell lines. LDIR is considered as a promising assistant method of clinical cancer therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of intermittent LDIR followed by a high-dose radiation therapeutic approach compared with the conventional high-dose radiotherapy in the breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line.

Materials and methods

MDA-MB-231 cells were divided into four experimental groups—intermittent LDIR group: cells were irradiated for 10 fractions with a dose of 30 mGy at each time (interval 24 h) followed by 2 Gy, single LDIR group: cells have accepted a dose of 300 mGy LDIR and after 24 h a high dose of 2 Gy, high-dose ionizing radiation (HDIR) group: cells were exposed to a single high dose of 2 Gy, and control group.

Results

MTT and flow cytometry assay were used for cell proliferation and apoptosis after 24 h of the last irradiation dose (2 Gy). Also, we examined p21 and cespase3 gene expression by RT-qPCR. We observed that intermittent LDIR significantly increased the killing effect of radiotherapy (viability, 71.95 + 1.25%) (P < 0.01). The apoptosis is proposed to increase up to 32.55 + 0.07% in the intermittent LDIR that was markedly higher than those of other groups (P < 0.01). Caspase3 gene expression in this group was the highest (5.2-fold), 4.26-fold and 1.42-fold in single LDIR and HDIR, respectively. It was observed that the intermittent LDIR potentially decreases p21 expression in comparison with the challenge dose of 2 Gy (0.681-fold).

Conclusion

LDIR may result in HRS through a concurrent increase of apoptosis and a significant decrease in cell viability. The therapeutic effects of this approach should be further investigated in animal models.

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Abbreviations

HDIR:

High-dose ionizing radiation

HRS:

Hyper-radiosensitivity

LDIR:

Low-dose ionizing radiation

Int. L + H:

Intermittent LDIR followed by HDIR

Single L + H:

Single LDIR followed by HDIR

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Amir Danyaei, Hashem Khanbabaei, Mohammad Javad Tahmasbi & Halime Mansoury Asl

  2. Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran

    Ali Teimoori

  3. Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Hojattollah Shahbazian

  4. Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Halime Mansoury Asl

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  1. Amir Danyaei
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Correspondence to Halime Mansoury Asl.

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This study was funded by the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran (Grant No.: U–96124).

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Danyaei, A., Khanbabaei, H., Teimoori, A. et al. Effect of intermittent low-dose irradiation on the radiotherapy efficiency for MDA-MB-231 human breast adenocarcinoma cell line. J Radiat Oncol 8, 199–208 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13566-019-00388-w

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