Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026. Vol. 71. № 5
DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-5-40-44
A.K. Chigasova1, 2, 3, A.A. Osipov2, M.A. Ignatov1, 2, Yu.A. Fedotov1, 2, V.O. Saburov4, N.Yu. Vorobyova1, 2, A.N. Osipov1, 2
COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OF DNA REPAIR PROTEIN FOCI IN HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS IRRADIATED WITH 150 MEV PROTONS OR GAMMA RADIATION
1 A.I. Burnazyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, Moscow, Russia
2 N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, Moscow, Russia
3 Institute of Biochemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
4 A.F. Tsyb Medical Radiological Research Center, Obninsk, Russia
Contact person: A.N. Osipov, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Comparative analysis of dose dependences and kinetics of post-radiation changes in the number of DNA repair protein foci (γH2AX and pATM) in human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) exposed to 150 MeV protons or cobalt-60 gamma radiation.
Material and methods: A primary culture of human MSCs obtained from the BioloT LLC collection (Russia) were used in the study. Cells were irradiated at the A.F. Tsyb Medical Radiological Research Center, a branch of the National Medical Research Center of Radiology of the Russian Ministry of Health, using the Prometheus proton therapy complex (FTC LPI, Russia) with a 150 MeV proton beam before front of Bragg peak and a ROKUS-AM gamma-therapy unit (cobalt-60). Immunocytochemical staining with antibodies to γH2AX and pATM, respectively, was used to quantify γH2AX and pATM foci.
Results: It was shown that in the case of exposure to gamma radiation, the quantitative yield of foci per unit absorbed dose was 18.56 ± 2.64 and 12.58 ± 1.52 foci / Gy for γH2AX and pATM proteins, respectively. The quantitative yield of foci per unit absorbed dose after exposure to 150 MeV protons was 19.83 ± 2.07 and 10.79 ± 1.51 foci / Gy for γH2AX and pATM proteins, respectively. The studies did not reveal statistically significant differences between the kinetics of post-radiation changes in the number of γH2AX and pATM foci in MSCs irradiated at a dose of 0.5 Gy with 150 MeV protons or cobalt-60 gamma radiation.
Conclusion: A comparative analysis of the dose dependences and kinetics of post-radiation changes in the number of foci of the DNA repair proteins γH2AX and pATM in human MSCs exposed to 150 MeV protons before front of Bragg peak and cobalt-60 gamma radiation revealed no statistically significant differences between the effects of these types of radiation. The obtained results indicate that the RBE of 150 MeV proton radiation before front of Bragg peak relative to cobalt-60 gamma radiation for human MSCs is ~1.0. Immunocytochemical analysis of DNA repair protein foci appears to be very promising for studying the specific cellular response to the DNA-damaging effects of ionizing radiation with different physical characteristics and for biological microdosimetry.
Keywords: protons, γH2AX, gamma-radiation, рATM, DNA damage, DNA repair, mesenchymal stromal cells
For citation: Chigasova AK, Osipov AA, Ignatov MA, Fedotov YuA, Saburov VO, Vorobyova NYu, Osipov AN. Comparative Studies of Changes in the Number of Dna Repair Protein Foci in Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Irradiated with 150 Mev Protons or Gamma Radiation. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026;71(5):40–44. DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-5-40-44
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Conflict of interest.The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Financing. The research was carried out within the framework of the state task of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (No. 1024122500008-3, code FFZE-2025-0030).
Contribution. Article was prepared with equal participation of the authors.
Article received: 20.04.2026. Accepted for publication: 25.05.2026.