Eur. Phys. J. D (2014) 68: 85
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2014-40846-7

Regular Article

Radiosensitization of DNA in presence of Pt(II)-based compounds^*

¹ Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology, Department of Control and Energy Engineering, G. Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
² Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University, MK7 6AA, Milton Keynes, UK
³ Radiation Laboratory and Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, 46556 IN, USA
⁴ Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, MK7 6AA, Milton Keynes, UK

^a e-mail: smialek@pg.gda.pl

Received: 31 December 2013
Received in final form: 6 February 2014
Published online: 23 April 2014

Abstract

X-ray irradiation of plasmid DNA in presence of platinum (II)-based compounds was carried out in order to assess the radiosensitization capabilities of these drugs. In present investigations pBR322 plasmid DNA was used to monitor the effectiveness of chosen compounds in inducing strand breaks. Samples were incubated in the presence of potential radiosensitisers: platinum (II) bromide and cis-diamminedibromoplatinum (II). The results were examined against a common cancer chemotherapy drug cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II). It was found that platinum (II) bromide can greatly increase the levels of single- and double-strand break formation observed in the irradiated samples with respect to the samples containing platinum as a radiosensitizer only, possessing very little chemotherapeutic activity. The suggested drugs exhibit much higher level of radiosensitivity than widely used cisplatin and thus may be good candidates for cancer treatment.