VIABILITY OF CERIUM OXIDE NANOPARTICLES AS A RADIOPROTECTOR AGAINST PROTON RADIATION FOR NON-MALIGNANT CELLS

Abstract

Radiation therapy is a prevalent cancer treatment therapy. The goal is to kill all tumor cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells and new methods that can accomplish this goal are continually being investigated. Cerium Oxide (CeO₂) or ceria nanoparticles have recently shown to act as a radioprotector for non-malignant cells while sensitizing tumor cells to x-rays. However, research is required to determine if the same benefits are present for heavy charged-particle radiation. This dissertation research investigates the efficacy of ceria nanoparticles (CNPs) as a radioprotector of normal cells irradiated with 3-4 MeV protons at doses of 1-6 Gy in the East Carolina University Accelerator Laboratory. The CNPs were synthesized at the University of Central Florida Nanoscience Technology Center and were transferred to ECU. Cell viability was measured with the Microculture Tetrazolium (MTT) assay 24 and 48 hours post irradiation. DNA damage was determined using the Terminal Uridine Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay. While showing promise for potential radioprotection of non-malignant cells using both assays, the MTT assay results were less conclusive and require further research. The TUNEL assay results are preliminary but show that CNPs reduce DNA damage to non-malignant cells compared to those cells which were not treated.