Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Evaluating In Vitro DNA Damage Using Comet Assay
Published on: October 11, 2017
Valproic acid radiosensitizes anaplastic thyroid cells through a decrease of the DNA damage repair capacity
M Perona1,2, I L Ibañez3, L Thomasz4,5
1Department of Radiobiology (CAC), National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), Av. General Paz 1499, B1650KNA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. mariperona@gmail.com.
Background:
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) represents a rare lethal human malignancy with poor prognosis. Multimodality treatment, including radiotherapy, is recommended to improve local control and survival. Valproic acid (VA) is a clinically available histone deacetylase inhibitor with a well-documented side effect profile. In this study, we aim to investigate the combined effect of VA with photon irradiation in vitro.
Methods:
Anaplastic thyroid cancer cells (8505c) were used to investigate the radiosensitizing effect of VA.
Results:
VA sensitized cells to photon irradiation. VA increased radiation-induced apoptosis and radiation-induced DNA damage measured by γH2AX foci induction. Furthermore, VA prolonged γH2AX foci disappearance over time in irradiated cells and decreased the radiation-induced levels of mRNA of key DNA damage repair proteins of the homologous recombination (HR) and the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathways.
Conclusions:
VA at a clinically safe dose enhance the radiosensitivity of 8505c cells through an increase in radiation-induced apoptosis and a disruption in the molecular mechanism of HR and NHEJ DNA damage repair pathways.
More Related Videos
09:33Formation of Covalent DNA Adducts by Enzymatically Activated Carcinogens and Drugs In Vitro and Their Determination by 32P-postlabeling
Published on: March 20, 2018
05:39Author Spotlight: Radiotherapy and Clonogenic Assays for Advancing Cancer Research and Personalized Medicine
Published on: April 5, 2024
Related Concept Videos
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...