SUPPRESSION OF RADIATION-INDUCED SALIVARY GLAND DYSFUNCTION

General Questions

What is Ionizing Radiation?

Ionizing radiation consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that are energetic enough to detach electrons from atoms or molecules, ionizing them.

Two of the most common forms of ionizing radiation are gamma rays and x-rays. Both forms of ionizing radiation are almost identical with exception to their source of origination.

How is Ionizing Radiation Generated?

Ionizing radiation comes from radioactive sources such as cobalt 60 and cesium 137 and non-radioactive sources such as x-ray tubes. Radioactive sources are unstable materials where gamma rays originate from the nucleus. x-rays originate in the electron fields surrounding the nucleus or are machine-produced.

What is Ionizing Radiation Used for?

Because of the penetrating properties of ionizing radiation and their ability to kill microorganisms, ionizing radiation is used to sterilize or reduce the microbial load of many different types of products such as medical devices, packaging, cosmetics, foods, and agricultural products. It is also used to alter the properties of many different polymers through recombination, cross-linkage, and cross scission.

Why use x-ray versus gamma produced Ionizing radiation?

Gamma ionizing radiation is produced by radioactive sources such as cobalt 60 or cesium 137 and is dangerous requiring heavy shielding and high levels of security to protect. The unstable material is constantly decaying and cannot be turned off. x-ray ionizing radiation is produced by a x-ray tube therefore it can be turned off when it is not being used and it requires much less shielding. At the end the of unit’s lifecycle, the unit does not have any radioactive source and therefore does not require the expensive disposal costs associated with radioactive sources that continue to degrade over hundreds of years.

Does the RS 3400 require external cooling?

No, the RS 3400 uses a self-contained water to air exchange system.

Is the RS 3400 Blood Irradiator cleared by the FDA for GVHD?

Yes, the RS 3400 was cleared by the USFDA for marketing for the irradiation of blood for the prevention of graft verses host disease (GVHD).

How does the RS 3400 differ from other x-ray irradiators?

The RS 3400 is designed to have the blood bags rotate around the Quastar™ x-ray emitter using our patented carousel and therefore delivers superior uniformity.
Unlike other x-ray blood irradiators, the RS 3400 is completely self-contained and requires no external water supply for tube cooling.
The RS 3400 is engineered for extreme reliability as it uses the proven Quastar™ x-ray emitter.
The RS 3400 has only ONE x-ray tube and ONE power supply.

How does the RS 3400 differ from a Cs-137 gamma irradiator??

The RS 3400 uses a Rad Source patented Quastar™ x-ray emitter and therefore contains NO radioactive isotopes. It can be turned on and off, similar to a light bulb. As a result, there is no Nuclear Site License, Homeland Security issues, or room shielding requirements.

Abstract
Background

Radiation is a primary or secondary therapeutic modality for treatment of head and neck cancer. A common side effect of irradiation to the neck and neck region is xerostomia caused by salivary gland dysfunction. Approximately 40,000 new cases of xerostomia result from radiation treatment in the United States each year. The ensuing salivary gland hypofunction results in significant morbidity and diminishes the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapies as well as the quality of life for these patients. Previous studies in a rat model have shown no correlation between induction of apoptosis in the salivary gland and either the immediate or chronic decrease in salivary function following γ-radiation treatment.

Methodology/Principal Finding

A significant level of apoptosis can be detected in the salivary glands of FVB mice following γ-radiation treatment of the head and neck and this apoptosis is suppressed in transgenic mice expressing an activated mutant of Akt (myr-Akt1). Importantly, this suppression of apoptosis in myr-Akt1 mice preserves salivary function, as measured by saliva output, three and thirty days after γ-radiation treatment. In order to translate these studies into a preclinal model we found that intravenous injection of IGF1 stimulated activation of endogenous Akt in the salivary glands in vivo. A single injection of IGF1 prior to exposure to γ-radiation diminishes salivary acinar cell apoptosis and completely preserves salivary gland function three and thirty days following irradiation.

Conclusions/Significance

These studies suggest that apoptosis of salivary acinar cells underlies salivary gland hypofunction occurring secondary to radiation of the head and neck region. Targeted delivery of IGF1 to the salivary gland of patients receiving head and neck irradiation may be useful in reducing or eliminating xerostomia and restoring quality of life to these patients.

Citation: Limesand KH, Said S, Anderson SM (2009) Suppression of Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Dysfunction by IGF-1. PLoS ONE 4(3): e4663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004663

Editor: Mikhail V. Blagosklonny, Ordway Research Institute, United States of America

Received: October 28, 2008; Accepted: January 16, 2009; Published: March 2, 2009

Copyright: © 2009 Limesand et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: This work was supported in part by the NIH grants PO1 DE12798 and R01 DE016354 to SMA, University of Colorado Cancer Center Translational Grant, and State of Colorado and University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office Bioscience Discovery Grant. KHL has received support from the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation (PN0101-097) and NIH (F32 DE 14315). KHL is the current recipient of a K22 award DE 16096. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Website
https://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004663

Product Literature & Links

RS 3400 Product Brochure (Model 2019)

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RS 3400 Product Brochure (Model 2021)

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RS 3400 Accessories Brochures

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Useful Industry Links

Preventing a Dirty Bomb: Case Studies and Lessons Learned

CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21

Literature & References

A Sample of Rad Source Customers

General Questions

What is Ionizing Radiation?

How is Ionizing Radiation Generated?

What is Ionizing Radiation Used for?

Why use x-ray versus gamma produced Ionizing radiation?

Does the RS 3400 require external cooling?

Is the RS 3400 Blood Irradiator cleared by the FDA for GVHD?

How does the RS 3400 differ from other x-ray irradiators?

How does the RS 3400 differ from a Cs-137 gamma irradiator??

Suppression of Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Dysfunction by IGF-1

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