Mb. Roy et al., RADIOSENSITIZATION OF THYMINE BY COPPER(II) AND NICKEL(II) COMPLEXES OF METRONIDAZOLE, International journal of radiation biology, 69(4), 1996, pp. 471-480
Citations number
44
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging","Nuclear Sciences & Tecnology
Aqueous solutions of thymine (10(-3) mol dm(-3)) were irradiated with
Co-60 gamma-rays in the absence and presence of metronidazole as well
as its Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes (10(-4) mol dm(-3)) under different
conditions. The yields for the loss of thymine and those for the form
ation of the products of radiolysis were determined by hplc. The degra
dation of thymine when compared with that in the absence of metronidaz
ole was not significantly altered. However, it increased significantly
when the radiolysis of thymine was carried out in the presence of the
Cu(II) and Ni(LI) complexes of metronidazole. All three compounds wer
e found to promote the formation of thymine glycol although the increa
se was more significant for the metal complexes than for free metronid
azole. The higher radiosensitizing efficiency observed with the metal
complexes as compared with that for free metronidazole is due to their
higher rate of oxidation of the transient thymine-OH radical adduct.
The reduction of the sensitizers results in the formation of the nitro
-anion radical which in the case of the Cu(II) complex undergoes intra
molecular electron transfer to the metal centre leading to the formati
on of Cu(I).