Abstract
CELLS can be sensitized to ionizing radiation by chemical compounds, and this offers opportunity for investigating the mechanisms intermediate between energy absorption and expression of biological effect. Concentration dependence seems to be an important factor for the effectiveness of a radiation sensitizer. The inactivation constant k for X-irradiated suspensions of Bacillus megaterium spores shows a peak at 3 × 10−3 M diacetyl (CH3COCOCH3) concentration1. Although the mechanism of this effect is unknown, certain free radical reactions have been suggested2–4. The decrease of k with increasing sensitizer concentration, envisaged as a protective action, indicates a competitive reaction in which the species contributing to the lethality are removed.
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POWERS, E., RICHARD, R. & SIMIC, M. OH Radicals in Radiation Sensitization. Nature New Biology 238, 260–261 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio238260a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio238260a0
