The Expression of Markers of Acute Kidney Injury Kim1 and NGAL after Administration of High Doses of Lithium Carbonate in Mice with Engrafted Skin Melanoma B16.

The expression of marker proteins of acute kidney injury after administration of high doses of lithium carbonate was assessed to evaluate the possibility of lithium use in neutron capture therapy. In mice with implanted skin melanoma B16, the expression of Kim1 (kidney injury molecule 1) and NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) proteins in the kidneys was evaluated immunohistochemically 15, 30, 90, 180 min, and 7 days after peroral administration of lithium carbonate at single doses of 300 and 400 mg/kg. An increase in the expression of the studied proteins was found in 30 and 90 min after administration of 400 mg/kg lithium carbonate, however, 7 days after the drug administration, the expression returned to the level observed in the control group. It can be suggested that single administration of lithium carbonate in the studied doses effective for lithium neutron capture therapy will not significantly affect the renal function.

Effects of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy on the Growth of Subcutaneous Xenografts of Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma SW-620 in Immunodeficient Mice.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) can become an instrument for patients with malignant neoplasms of the rectum and colon. Here we evaluate the effectiveness of BNCT performed at the accelerator based epithermal neutron source at G. I. Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Sciences, in relation to subcutaneous xenografts of human colon adenocarcinoma SW-620 in SCID mice. Utilization of BNCT with boronоphenylalanine (BPA) and sodium borocaptate (BSH), which were injected intravenously into the retroorbital sinus, resulted in a significant decrease in tumor volumes compared to the control group (no radiation).

Effect of epithermal neutrons on viability of glioblastoma tumor cells in vitro.

We studied in vitro effect of epithermal neutrons in various doses on viability of glioblastoma U87 tumor cells. Increasing the dose from 1.9 to 4.1 Sv promoted cell death. Cytofluorimetric analysis revealed no activation of apoptosis in the irradiated cells, which attested to necrotic death of the tumor cells exposed to epithermal neutron radiation.

[Impact of neutron radiation on the viability of tumor cells cultured in the presence of boron-10 isotope].

Objective: To investigate the impact of a neutron beam formed with the accelerator-based epithermal neutron source designed at the G.I. Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) on the viability of human and animal tumor cells cultured in the presence of boron-10 isotope. Material and Methods: Human U251 and T98G glioma cells and Chinese hamster CHO-K1 and V-79 cells were incubated at various concentrations in the culture medium containing 10B-enriched L-boronophenylalanine. The cells were irradiated with a neuron beam using the accelerator-based epithermal neuron source. A clonogenic assay was used to evaluate the viability of the irradiated cells. The absorbed doses obtained from elastic scattering of fast neutrons by substance nuclei and the doses obtained from boron neutron capture were calculated using the NMS code. The absorbed doses of gamma-radiation were measured with a mixed radiation dosimeter. Results: The viability of boron-containing and intact human U251 and T98G cell lines and Chinese hamster CHO-K1 and V-79 cells was analyzed after neutron beam radiation. Irradiation of all four cell lines were cultured in the presence of 10B was shown to reduce their colony-forming capacity compared with the control. Elevated boron levels in the culture medium resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of survived cells. Radiation had the most pronounced impact on the proliferative capacity of the human U251 glioma cell lines. Conclusion: The cultures of human tumor cells and mammalian cells demonstrated that the neutron beam formed with the accelerator-based epithermal neutron source designed at the INP, was effective in reducing the viability of tumor cells in the presence of 10B.

[Possibilities of boron neutron capture therapy in the treatment of malignant brain tumors].

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) that is of the highest attractiveness due to its selective action directly on malignant tumor cells is a promising approach to treating cancers. Clinical interest in BNCT focuses in neuro-oncology on therapy for gliomas, glioblastoma in particular, and BNCT may be used in brain metastatic involvement. This needs an epithermal neutron source that complies with the requirements for BNCT, as well as a 10B-containing agent that will selectively accumulate in tumor tissue. The introduction of BNCT into clinical practice to treat patients with glial tumors will be able to enhance therapeutic efficiency.