title: Alpha-particle doses to cells of the bone remodeling cycle from alpha-particle-emitting bone-seekers: indications of an antiresorptive effect of actinides.
abstract: There are indications that alpha-particle-emitting bone-seekers such as plutonium or americium could enhance bone mass by suppressing bone resorption. To assess this possibility, this study calculates doses from alpha-particle emitters to the cells involved in trabecular bone turnover. Alpha-particle energy deposition in tissue from a bone surface source was calculated by Monte Carlo modeling. This was combined with bone surface cellular geometry to yield dose rates to cells during the remodeling cycle. Bone-resorbing osteoclasts receive on average 50 times the dose rate that bone-forming osteoblasts receive. Newly formed bone shields osteoblasts from alpha particles emitted by the buried deposit of alpha-particle emitters. However, at alpha-particle bone-seeking radionuclide intakes known to cause changes in remodeling (about 3700 Bq/kg body weight), the alpha-particle dose to osteoclasts corresponds to an extremely low rate of cell traversals (0.07% per cycle). It is therefore unlikely that perturbation of bone remodeling by alpha-particle bone-seeking radionuclides is directly caused by alpha-particle traversals of remodeling cells; some other indirect mechanism might be involved.
authors.affiliation: AEA Technology, Biosciences, Harwell 551, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0RA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.forename: Y N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Onischuk
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Bondarenko
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Lanyon
mesh_terms: D008671:Actinoid Series Elements / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000512:Alpha Particles / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000528:radiation effects; D011829:Radiation Dosage
chemical_list: D008671:Actinoid Series Elements