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

Journal Article · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1984 · Radiat. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3576421· OSTI ID:5885294

Beetham, K L; Tolmach, L J

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

Related Subjects

560121* -- Radiation Effects on Cells-- External Source-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANALEPTICS
AROMATICS
AZAARENES
BIOLOGICAL RECOVERY
BIOLOGICAL REPAIR
CAFFEINE
CELL KILLING
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
COLONY FORMATION
DATA
DRUGS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HELA CELLS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOMICROGRAPHY
PURINES
RADIATIONS
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOSENSITIVITY EFFECTS
RECOVERY
REPAIR
X RADIATION
XANTHINES