Analysis of DNA Damage Responses After Boric Acid-mediated Boron Neutron Capture Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) selectively kills tumor cells while sparing adjacent normal cells. Boric acid (BA)-mediated BNCT showed therapeutic efficacy in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vivo. However, DNA damage and corresponding responses induced by BA-mediated BNCT remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether BA-mediated BNCT induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and to explore DNA damage responses in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Huh7 Human HCC cells were treated with BA and irradiated with neutrons during BA-BNCT. Cell survival and DNA DSBs were examined by clonogenic assay and expression of phosphorylated H2A histone family member X (γH2AX), respectively. The DNA damage response was explored by determining the expression levels of DNA repair- and apoptosis-associated proteins and conducting a cell-cycle analysis. RESULTS: DNA DSBs induced by BA-mediated BNCT were primarily repaired through the homologous recombination pathway. BA-mediated BNCT induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in HCC. CONCLUSION: Our findings may enable the identification of radiosensitizers or adjuvant drugs for potentiating the therapeutic effectiveness of BA-mediated BNCT for HCC.

Tissue disposition of boron in male Fischer rats.

Boric acid (H3BO3), an inorganic acid with widespread commercial use and consumer exposure, impairs fertility in male rodents at dose levels lower than those required to cause other adverse effects. Previous studies found a testicular lesion in adult Fischer rats fed 9000 ppm boric acid (1575 ppm boron) and slightly reduced basal serum testosterone levels. A CNS-mediated hormonal component to this lesion was suggested. Detailed data on the tissue disposition of boron in the rat, including accessory sex organs and the brain, are lacking. This study examined the tissue disposition of boron in reproductive, accessory sex organs, and other selected tissues in adult male Fischer rats fed 9000 ppm boric acid to determine if selective accumulation of boron in reproductive tissues, accessory sex organs, and/or the brain might correlate with and explain the apparent selective testicular toxicity. Adult male Fischer rats were fed 9000 ppm boric acid for up to 7 days. Animals were killed at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 days after the start of exposure. Plasma and excised tissues were heat-digested in acid and analyzed for boron by inductively coupled argon plasma emission spectrometry (ICAP). With the exception of adrenal glands, control boron levels in all tissues examined were below 4 micrograms/g. There was a rapid increase in plasma and tissue boron 1 day after the start of exposure (range 2- to 20-fold), with the exception of adipose tissue. With the exception of bone and adipose tissue, all soft tissues examined, including the testis, epididymis, accessory sex organs, hypothalamus, and rest of brain, appeared to reach steady-state boron levels (range 12-30 micrograms/g) by 3-4 days. Bone boron levels continued to increase up to the termination at 7 days (40-50 micrograms/g by Day 7). Bone attained the greatest concentration of boron (2- to 3-fold over plasma levels) while levels in adipose tissue were 20% of plasma levels during the 7-day exposure period. All other tissues appeared to show no appreciable accumulation of boron over plasma levels. The data suggest that neither the apparent selective testicular toxicity nor the slight CNS hormonal effect associated with boric acid exposure can be explained on the basis of selective accumulation of boron in the testis or brain/hypothalamus, respectively. Thus, the testicular toxicity is likely the result of certain biological processes that are unique to the testis and which are targets of boron exposure.