Effect of spatial distribution of boron and oxygen concentration on DNA damage induced from boron neutron capture therapy using Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how the spatial distribution of boron in cells and oxygen concentration affect the DNA damage induced by charged particles in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) by Monte Carlo simulations, and further to evaluate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induction.

Materials and methods

The kinetic energy spectra of α, ⁷Li particles in BNCT arriving at the nucleus surface were obtained from GEANT4 (Geant4 10.05.p01). The DNA damage caused by BNCT was then evaluated using MCDS (MCDS 3.10A).

Results

When α or ⁷Li particles were distributed in the cytomembrane or cytoplasm, the difference in DNA damage of the same types was less than 0.5%. Taking the 137Cs photons as the reference radiation, when the oxygen concentration varied from 0% to 50%, the RBE of 0.54MeV protons and recoil protons varied from 5 to 2, whereas it decreased from 10 to 3 for α or ⁷Li particles.

Conclusion

The RBE of DSB induction all charged particles in BNCT decreased with the increase of oxygen concentration. This work indicated that the RBE of different radiation particles of BNCT might be affected by many factors, which should be paid attention to in theoretical research or clinical application.

Keywords:

• Monte Carlo simulation
• BNCT
• boron distribution
• MCDS
• DNA damage

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to give special thanks to Dr. Robert D. Stewart from the University of Washington, Seattle, United States of America for his discussion on the use of MCDS.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [11975123, 11905106]; the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province [BK20190410]; and the Foundation of the Graduate Innovation Center, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics [kfjj20200612].

Notes on contributors

Jie Qi

Jie Qi, is a MS student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.

Changran Geng

Changran Geng, is an Associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.

Xiaobin Tang

Xiaobin Tang, is a Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.

Feng Tian

Feng Tian, is a PhD student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.

Yang Han

Yang Han, is a PhD student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.

Huan Liu

Huan Liu, is a MS student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.

Yuanhao Liu

Yuanhao Liu, is a Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.

Silva Bortolussi

Silva Bortolussi, is a Senior researcher in the Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.

Fada Guan

Fada Guan, is an Assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.