Dosimetry for Cell Irradiation using Orthovoltage (40-300 kV) X-Ray Facilities

Summary

This document describes a new dosimetry protocol for cell irradiations using low energy X-ray equipment. Measurements are performed in conditions simulating real cell irradiation conditions as much as possible.

Abstract

The importance of dosimetry protocols and standards for radiobiological studies is self-evident. Several protocols have been proposed for dose determination using low energy X-ray facilities, but depending on the irradiation configurations, samples, materials or beam quality, it is sometimes difficult to know which protocol is the most appropriate to employ. We, therefore, propose a dosimetry protocol for cell irradiations using low energy X-ray facility. The aim of this method is to perform the dose estimation at the level of the cell monolayer to make it as close as possible to real cell irradiation conditions. The different steps of the protocol are as follows: determination of the irradiation parameters (high voltage, intensity, cell container etc.), determination of the beam quality index (high voltage-half value layer couple), dose rate measurement with ionization chamber calibrated in air kerma conditions, quantification of the attenuation and scattering of the cell culture medium with EBT3 radiochromic films, and determination of the dose rate at the cellular level. This methodology must be performed for each new cell irradiation configuration as the modification of only one parameter can strongly impact the real dose deposition at the level of the cell monolayer, particularly involving low energy X-rays.

Introduction

The aim of radiobiology is to establish links between the delivered dose and the biological effects; dosimetry is a crucial aspect in the design of radiobiological experiments. For over 30 years, the importance of dosimetry standards and the harmonization of practices have been highlighted^1,2,3,4,5. To establish a dose rate reference, several protocols exist^6,7,8,9,

Protocol

1. Irradiation platform and determination of irradiation parameters

1. Use an irradiation platform delivering low to medium energy X-rays. Determine the parameters of the experiment to ensure the robustness and the reproducibility of the radiobiological experiment: High voltage, Intensity, Filtration (inherent and additional), Half Value Layer (HVL), Effective energy, Detector used for dosimetry measurements, Source Sample Distance (SSD), Irradiation field (shape, size, geometry), Dosimetry quantity, Dosimetry method, Dose rate, Cell container and Quantity of cell culture media. All parameters used in this protocol are given in Table 1.
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Results

In this work, we used a platform dedicated to small animal irradiation¹⁹; however, this platform can be used to irradiate other types of samples such as cells. The irradiation source is a Varian X-ray tube (NDI-225-22) having an inherent filtration of 0.8 mm of beryllium, a large focal sport size of 3 mm, a high voltage range of about 30 to 225 kV and a maximal intensity of 30 mA.

The parameters used for this study are reported in Table 1. We have chose.......

Discussion

This work presents the protocol used and implemented for cell irradiations using low energy X-ray facility. Nowadays, many radiobiology experiments are performed with this type of irradiator as they are easy to use, cost effective and with very few radioprotection constraints, compared to cobalt source for example. Although these setups have many advantages, as they use a low X-ray energy source, a modification of only one irradiation parameter can significantly impact the dosimetry. Several studies have already highligh.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
31010 ionization chamber	PTW	ionization Radiation, Detectors including code of practice, catalog 2019/2020, page 14	https://www.ptwdosimetry.com/fileadmin/user_upload/DETECTORS_Cat_en_16522900_12/blaetterkatalog/index.html?startpage=1#page_14
EBT3 radiochromic films	Meditest	quote request	https://www.meditest.fr/produit/ebt3-8x10/
electrometer UNIDOSEwebline	PTW	online catalog, quote request	https://www.ptwdosimetry.com/en/products/unidos-webline/?type=3451&downloadfile=1593& cHash= 6096ddc2949f8bafe5d556e931e6c865
HVL material (filter, diaphragm)	PTW	online catalog, page 70, quote request	thickness foils: 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5 and 10 mm of copper, https://www.ptwdosimetry.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Online_Catalog/Radiation_Medicine_Cat_en_ 58721100_11/blaetterkatalog/index.html#page_70
scanner for radiochromic films	Epson	quote request	Epson V700, seiko Epson corporation, Suwa, Japan
temperature and pressure measurements, Lufft OPUS20	lufft	quote request	https://www.lufft.com/products/in-room-measurements-291/opus-20-thip-1983/