Title: Caffeine treatment enhances low dose γ-irradiation-induced chromatid-type aberrations in human leukaemia cells, but not in human normal fibroblast cells in culture

Authors: Mitra N. Jha; Joel S. Bedford; Smita Jha; Kedar N. Prasad

Addresses: Ecosystems Protection Program, US EPA Region-8, 1595 Wynkoop St., Denver, CO 80202, USA. ' Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523-1618, USA. ' North Shore Medical Center, Salem, MA 01915, USA. ' Premier Micronutrient Corporation, Antioxidant Research Institute, 14 Galli Drive, Suite 200, Novato, CA 94949, USA

Abstract: We investigated the effect of caffeine on low dose γ-radiation-induced chromosomal damage in human T-cell leukaemia cells (Jurkat T-cells) and two normal human fibroblast cell lines (AG1522 and GM2149). Low doses of gamma-radiation were found to increase the levels of chromatid gaps and breaks in a dose-dependent manner in both normal and cancer cells; however, cancer cells appeared to be more sensitive than the normal cells. Caffeine treatment before radiation exposure significantly increased the levels of chromatid gaps and breaks in Jurkat T-cells at all radiation doses, but it did not increase the level of these aberrations in normal cells. The mechanisms of this differential effect of caffeine in cancer cells and normal cells are unknown; however, G2-delay allows more time for rejoining of chromosome breakage to occur, then elimination of this delay by caffeine in tumour cells, not in normal cells might account for difference.

Keywords: gamma irradiation; caffeine treatment; low dose radiation; chromatid-type aberrations; human leukaemia; fibroblast cells; dose-dependent manner; sensitivity; low radiation; cancer cells; tumour cells.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2011.047176

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2011 Vol.8 No.5/6, pp.400 - 411

Received: 05 Oct 2011
Accepted: 07 Nov 2011
Published online: 07 Feb 2015 *

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