Raman spectroscopy monitoring of MCF10A cells irradiated by protons at clinical doses

Proton therapy has been recently proposed as a radiotherapy form for breast cancer treatment in view of its potentially decreased normal-tissue toxicity compared with conventional photon-based radiotherapy. However, the risks for the healthy tissue cannot be completely eliminated. In the present study, the suitability of Raman spectroscopy to monitor the radiosensitivity of normal cells exposed to clinical proton beam was investigated.

MCF10A normal human breast cells were irradiated at two different proton doses: 0.5 Gy and 4 Gy. They were fixed immediately after irradiation and measured by means of Raman spectroscopy technique. The obtained data were analyzed both by evaluating the intensity ratio of specific Raman spectral peaks and through Multivariate Distance Matrix Regression technique.

Certain Raman peaks associated with DNA showed a systematic suppression at both dose levels. In particular, the intensity of a Raman peak at 784 cm^-1, related to a stretching mode inside the phosphate group of DNA, is very sensitive to the proton beam exposure, even at the lowest investigated dose. Therefore, it could be considered as a spectral marker of cytogenetic damage.

The obtained results are encouraging for the future of Raman spectroscopy in radiobiology research, particularly for improving risk assessment in the field of proton radiotherapy. Specifically, these findings validate Raman spectroscopy to measure biological response in human breast cells exposed to standard proton therapy doses used in clinical setting.