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Action of caffeine on x-irradiated HeLa cells. VII. Evidence that caffeine enhances expression of potentially lethal radiation damage

Journal Article · · Radiat. Res.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3576421· OSTI ID:5885294

HeLa cells irradiated with 2 Gy of 220-kV X rays suffer a 60-70% loss of colony-forming ability which is increased to 90% by postirradiation treatment with 10 mM caffeine for 6 hr. The detailed postirradiation patterns of cell death and sister-cell fusion in such cultures and in cultures in which the colony-forming ability was brought to about the same level by treatment with a larger (4 Gy) X-ray dose alone or by longer (48 hr) treatment with 10 mM caffeine alone were recorded by time-lapse cinemicrography. Because the patterns of cell death and fusion differ radically in irradiated and in caffeine-treated cultures, the response of the additional cells killed by the combined treatment can be identified as X-ray induced rather than caffeine induced. The appearance of cultures after several days of incubation confirms the similarity of the post-treatment patterns of proliferation in cultures suffering enhanced killing to those occurring in cultures treated with larger doses of X rays alone. It is concluded that x rays do not sensitize cells to caffeine, but rather that caffeine enhanced the expression of potentially lethal radiation-induced damage.

Research Organization:
Washington Univ. School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
OSTI ID:
5885294
Journal Information:
Radiat. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: Radiat. Res.; (United States) Vol. 100:3; ISSN RAREA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English