Alpha-particles induce preneoplastic transformation of rat tracheal epithelial cells in culture.

To characterize the potential role of high-l.e.t. radiation in respiratory carcinogenesis, the cytotoxic and transforming potency of 5.5 Me V alpha-particles from electroplated sources of 238Pu were determined using primary cultures of rat tracheal epithelial cells. The alpha-particle response was compared to the effects of 280 kVp X-rays and of the direct-acting carcinogen N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Increasing the alpha-particle dose caused an exponential decrease in survival with a D37 of 1.6 Gy. X-rays also caused a dose-dependent decrease in survival (D37 = 3.6 Gy) but the survival curve had a significant shoulder. The RBE for cell killing by alpha-particles versus X-rays varied with dose, and ranged between 4 and 1.5 for alpha doses in the range 0.2-4 Gy. At equally toxic doses (relative survival 0.18-0.2), all three agents induced similar frequencies of preneoplastic transformation. For preneoplastic transformation induced by doses of alpha- and X-radiations giving 80 per cent toxicity, an alpha RBE of 2.4 was derived. The similar RBEs for cell killing and for preneoplastic transformation suggest an association between the type or degree of radiation-induced damage responsible for both cell killing and cell transformation.