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Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors

It is generally accepted that most tumours contain radioresistant hypoxic cells, which limit the effectiveness of photon radiation. This dissertation outlines an attempt to i increase the sensitivity of mouse tumours to X- and gamma radiation by reducing the fraction of hypoxic cells in tumours. It...

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Main Author: Hendrikse, Andre Stephen
Other Authors: Blekkenhorst, Gerry
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Philosophy 2023
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access_status_str Open Access
author Hendrikse, Andre Stephen
author2 Blekkenhorst, Gerry
author_browse Blekkenhorst, Gerry
Hendrikse, Andre Stephen
author_facet Blekkenhorst, Gerry
Hendrikse, Andre Stephen
author_sort Hendrikse, Andre Stephen
collection Thesis
description It is generally accepted that most tumours contain radioresistant hypoxic cells, which limit the effectiveness of photon radiation. This dissertation outlines an attempt to i increase the sensitivity of mouse tumours to X- and gamma radiation by reducing the fraction of hypoxic cells in tumours. It is proposed that this can be achieved by making the tumour bearing animals breathe a hypoxic gas mixture for a period of time and then returning them to a normoxic or hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) environment just prior to and for the duration of delivery of radiation. The effect of breathing 8% oxygen for 72 hours prior to radiation (single X-ray dose of 11 Gy) in air or in HBO on the regrowth delay of CaNT tumours and 3-methylcholanthrene-induced murine rhabdomyosarcomas was compared with radiation alone. No differences in regrowth delay were observed in the case of the CaNT tumour between the mice that received pre-treatment and radiation and those that received radiation alone. In the rhabdomyosarcoma an increase in regrowth delay was observed in the mice that were exposed to the 8% oxygen environment for a 72-hour period prior to being irradiated. These findings are discussed with reference to the different hypoxic cell fractions which were determined for each tumour type (CaNT 54%; rhabdomyosarcoma 27%). The response of the Fib/T tumour grown in WHT mice to 60co gamma rays (delivered in air or in HBO) where mice were exposed to different hypoxic pre-treatments (8%, 10% or 15% oxygen) lasting either 48 hours or 72 hours was compared to that obtained where mice were pre-treated with air, using an in vitro colony forming excision assay. The response of the Fib/T tumour to radiation was improved by a 48 hour and 72-hour exposure of the WHT mice to 8%, 10% and 15% oxygen. However, the greatest sensitization was achieved where mice were kept in an 8% oxygen environment for 48 hours before radiation. These results are interpreted and discussed in relation to two adaptation mechanisms, viz. increased haemoglobin levels and increased 2,3-DPG concentrations, that were shown to operate where mice were exposed to a reduced oxygen environment. Furthermore, the importance of the "increased oxygen availability" model relative to the "reduced cord radius" model is assessed. Where mice, pre-treated with air, were irradiated in HBO, a similar tumour response was observed compared to where mice were pre-treated with 8% oxygen for 48 hours but irradiated in air. Where mice were exposed to two equal fractions of radiation, spaced by an interval. Of 24 hours, the greatest tumour response to radiation was observed where the mice were pre-treated with 8% oxygen for 48 hours and then returned to this environment for the 24-hour interval between fractions. If both fractions of radiation were delivered in HBO, an increase in tumour radiation damage was produced compared to where radiations were delivered in air. The response of the Fib/T tumour to single dose neutron radiation (delivered to air-breathing mice) was determined where mice were either pre-treated for 48 hours with 8% oxygen or with air. Results indicated that a 48-hour 8% oxygen pre-treatment was less efficacious in sensitizing the Fib/T tumour to neutron radiation than it was in sensitizing the Fib/T tumour to 60co gamma radiation. The activity of the scavenger enzymes, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, and a related enzyme in the antioxidant system (glutathione reductase), as well as the content of glutathione were determined in the Fib/T tumour of mice before and after exposure to 8% oxygen. This hypoxic environment was found to produce no significant change in the activity of either of the three enzymes or in glutathione levels. iii Finally, the findings reported in this thesis are discussed in relation to possible adaptation in the clinical radiotherapy situation.
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2023
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38972 Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors Hendrikse, Andre Stephen Blekkenhorst, Gerry Tumour Cell It is generally accepted that most tumours contain radioresistant hypoxic cells, which limit the effectiveness of photon radiation. This dissertation outlines an attempt to i increase the sensitivity of mouse tumours to X- and gamma radiation by reducing the fraction of hypoxic cells in tumours. It is proposed that this can be achieved by making the tumour bearing animals breathe a hypoxic gas mixture for a period of time and then returning them to a normoxic or hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) environment just prior to and for the duration of delivery of radiation. The effect of breathing 8% oxygen for 72 hours prior to radiation (single X-ray dose of 11 Gy) in air or in HBO on the regrowth delay of CaNT tumours and 3-methylcholanthrene-induced murine rhabdomyosarcomas was compared with radiation alone. No differences in regrowth delay were observed in the case of the CaNT tumour between the mice that received pre-treatment and radiation and those that received radiation alone. In the rhabdomyosarcoma an increase in regrowth delay was observed in the mice that were exposed to the 8% oxygen environment for a 72-hour period prior to being irradiated. These findings are discussed with reference to the different hypoxic cell fractions which were determined for each tumour type (CaNT 54%; rhabdomyosarcoma 27%). The response of the Fib/T tumour grown in WHT mice to 60co gamma rays (delivered in air or in HBO) where mice were exposed to different hypoxic pre-treatments (8%, 10% or 15% oxygen) lasting either 48 hours or 72 hours was compared to that obtained where mice were pre-treated with air, using an in vitro colony forming excision assay. The response of the Fib/T tumour to radiation was improved by a 48 hour and 72-hour exposure of the WHT mice to 8%, 10% and 15% oxygen. However, the greatest sensitization was achieved where mice were kept in an 8% oxygen environment for 48 hours before radiation. These results are interpreted and discussed in relation to two adaptation mechanisms, viz. increased haemoglobin levels and increased 2,3-DPG concentrations, that were shown to operate where mice were exposed to a reduced oxygen environment. Furthermore, the importance of the "increased oxygen availability" model relative to the "reduced cord radius" model is assessed. Where mice, pre-treated with air, were irradiated in HBO, a similar tumour response was observed compared to where mice were pre-treated with 8% oxygen for 48 hours but irradiated in air. Where mice were exposed to two equal fractions of radiation, spaced by an interval. Of 24 hours, the greatest tumour response to radiation was observed where the mice were pre-treated with 8% oxygen for 48 hours and then returned to this environment for the 24-hour interval between fractions. If both fractions of radiation were delivered in HBO, an increase in tumour radiation damage was produced compared to where radiations were delivered in air. The response of the Fib/T tumour to single dose neutron radiation (delivered to air-breathing mice) was determined where mice were either pre-treated for 48 hours with 8% oxygen or with air. Results indicated that a 48-hour 8% oxygen pre-treatment was less efficacious in sensitizing the Fib/T tumour to neutron radiation than it was in sensitizing the Fib/T tumour to 60co gamma radiation. The activity of the scavenger enzymes, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, and a related enzyme in the antioxidant system (glutathione reductase), as well as the content of glutathione were determined in the Fib/T tumour of mice before and after exposure to 8% oxygen. This hypoxic environment was found to produce no significant change in the activity of either of the three enzymes or in glutathione levels. iii Finally, the findings reported in this thesis are discussed in relation to possible adaptation in the clinical radiotherapy situation. 2023-09-29T12:01:24Z 2023-09-29T12:01:24Z 1989 2023-09-29T11:08:36Z Doctoral Thesis Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38972 eng application/pdf Department of Philosophy Faculty of Humanities
spellingShingle Tumour Cell
Hendrikse, Andre Stephen
Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors
thesis_degree_str Doctoral
title Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors
title_full Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors
title_fullStr Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors
title_full_unstemmed Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors
title_short Effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors
title_sort effect of breathing hypoxic gas mixtures followed by irradiation on tumour cell survival in experimental mouse tumors
topic Tumour Cell
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38972
work_keys_str_mv AT hendrikseandrestephen effectofbreathinghypoxicgasmixturesfollowedbyirradiationontumourcellsurvivalinexperimentalmousetumors