title: Suppression of E. multilocularis hydatid cysts after ionizing radiation exposure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heavy-ion therapy has an advantage over conventional radiotherapy due to its superb biological effectiveness and dose conformity in cancer therapy. It could be a potential alternate approach for hydatid cyst treatment. However, there is no information currently available on the cellular and molecular basis for heavy-ion irradiation induced cell death in cystic echinococcosis.
  LD50 was scored by protoscolex death. Cellular and ultrastructural changes within the parasite were studied by light and electron microscopy, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage and copy number were measured by QPCR, and apoptosis was determined by caspase 3 expression and caspase 3 activity. Ionizing radiation induced sparse cytoplasm, disorganized and clumped organelles, large vacuoles and devoid of villi. The initial mtDNA damage caused by ionizing radiation increased in a dose-dependent manner. The kinetic of DNA repair was slower after carbon-ion radiation than that after X-rays radiation. High dose carbon-ion radiation caused irreversible mtDNA degradation. Cysts apoptosis was pronounced after radiation. Carbon-ion radiation was more effective to suppress hydatid cysts than X-rays.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These studies provide a framework to the evaluation of attenuation effect of heavy-ion radiation on cystic echinococcosis in vitro. Carbon-ion radiation is more effective to suppress E. multilocularis than X-rays.
authors.affiliation: Department of Heavy Ion Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China ; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China ; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yumin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000528:radiation effects; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000166:cytology / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005260:Female; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D008853:Microscopy; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D053148:Caspase 3