title: Low radon doses sensitize MCF-7 human breast cancer cells to taxol.
abstract: We studied whether human breast cancer cells show increased sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agent taxol when they have been treated with low radiation doses (1.7-3.2 x 10(-3) Gy) from the gas radon. To this end, MCF-7 cells were cultivated in a medium either with or without dissolved radon for 3 days and then exposed to taxol (50 nM). Cells exposed to low doses of radon and then to a concentration of 50 nM of taxol exhibit a lower proliferation rate and a lower viability than cells treated with the same concentration of taxol but not irradiated. These findings indicate an important interaction of radon and taxol in the inhibition of MCF-7 cell growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sainz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Lamuno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falkenbach
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cos
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011886:Radon / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel; D011886:Radon