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Biological Effects of Radiation

Biological Effects of Radiation

All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...

Mutations

Mutations

Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...

Mutations

Mutations

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).

Bioactivation and Tissue Toxicity

Bioactivation and Tissue Toxicity

Bioactivation is a metabolic process that transforms less reactive substances into highly reactive metabolites, initiating tissue toxicity. This transformation can lead to various toxic effects, including carcinogenesis and teratogenesis. Reactive metabolites are classified into two main types: electrophiles and free radicals.Electrophiles are electron-deficient species and are produced primarily by the enzyme cytochrome P-450 during the metabolism of compounds containing carbon, nitrogen, or...

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Nucleotide Excision Repair

DNA Distortion and Damage
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation

Published on: July 3, 2015

Direct Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Macromolecules.

¹National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD 20892.

Journal of Polymer Science. Part B, Polymer Physics

|June 7, 2011

Summary

Ionizing radiation damages macromolecules like polymers by breaking covalent bonds. This radiation damage mechanism is consistent across various molecular types, enabling shared research techniques.

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Analysis of the Ambient Particulate Matter-induced Chromosomal Aberrations Using an In Vitro System

Analysis of the Ambient Particulate Matter-induced Chromosomal Aberrations Using an In Vitro System

Published on: December 21, 2016

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Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation

Published on: July 3, 2015

Analysis of the Ambient Particulate Matter-induced Chromosomal Aberrations Using an In Vitro System

Analysis of the Ambient Particulate Matter-induced Chromosomal Aberrations Using an In Vitro System

Published on: December 21, 2016

Area of Science:

Radiation chemistry
Polymer science
Biophysics

Background:

Macromolecules, including synthetic and biopolymers, can be damaged by ionizing radiation.
This damage occurs through direct interactions, particularly with larger molecules, in dry or frozen states.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of radiation damage in macromolecules.
To highlight the commonalities in radiation-induced modifications across different macromolecular classes.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on radiation modifications in synthetic and biopolymers.
Analysis of commonalities in measured properties and damage patterns.

Main Results:

Ionizing radiation (γ-rays, high-energy electrons) causes random ionization of orbital electrons in macromolecules.
Energy transfer during ionization leads to irreversible breakage of covalent bonds.
A consistent pattern of radiation damage is observed across diverse macromolecule types.

Conclusions:

The nature of radiation damage to macromolecules is fundamentally similar, irrespective of whether they are synthetic or biological.
Techniques developed for studying radiation effects in one class of macromolecules can be applied to understand damage in others.