Title: Biological basis for radiation hormesis in mammalian cellular communities

Authors: Bobby R. Scott, Munima Haque, Jennifer Di Palma

Addresses: Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, 2425 Ridgecrest Drive SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USA. ' Nuclear Plasma and Radiological Engineering Department, University of Illinois , 107 Nuclear Engineering Laboratory, MC-234, 103 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA. ' Department of Biology, 1 University of New Mexico, 167 Castetter Hall, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA

Abstract: It is now known that low doses and dose rates of certain agents (e.g., radiation and genotoxic chemicals) can induce protective processes that together lead to a reduction in mutations and neoplastic transformation below the spontaneous frequency in mammalian in vitro and in vivo cellular communities. However, after high doses, some of the protection is lost, leading to elevated risks relative to the background risk. The indicated pattern of induced protection is a form of radiation hormesis (low-dose stimulation and high-dose suppression of protective processes). In this paper, a modified existing dose-response model (NEOTRANS3) is summarised which provides a biological basis for radiation hormesis for specific stochastic radiobiological effects (mutations, neoplastic transformation and cancer). Implications for low-dose cancer risk assessment, cancer prevention, cancer therapy and lifespan lengthening are discussed.

Keywords: low dose radiation; stochastic effects; nonlinearity; radiation hormesis; mammalian cellular communities; dose response models; biology; radiobiological effects; mutations; neoplastic transformation; cancer risk assessment; cancer prevention; cancer therapy; lifespan lengthening.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2007.014485

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2007 Vol.4 No.1, pp.1 - 16

Published online: 11 Jul 2007 *

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