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Detection of DNA double-strand breaks using gammaH2AX after MRI exposure at 3 Tesla: an in vitro study.

Schwenzer NF, Bantleon R, Maurer B, Kehlbach R, Schraml C, Claussen CD, Rodegerdts E

Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Eberhard-Karls University, Tübingen, Germany. nina.schwenzer@med.uni-tuebingen.de

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of the static magnetic field and typical imaging sequences of a high-field magnetic resonance scanner (3 Tesla) on the induction of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in two different human cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) and human acute myeloid leukemia cells (KG-1a) were exposed to the static magnetic field alone and to turbo spin-echo (TSE) and gradient-echo (GE) sequences. Flow cytometry was used to quantify gammaH2AX (serine 139 phosphorylated form of histone H2AX) expression of antibody-stained cells as a marker for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) DSBs one hour and 24 hours after magnetic field exposure. X-ray-treated cells were used as positive control. RESULTS: Neither exposure to the static magnetic field alone nor to the applied imaging sequences showed significant differences in gammaH2AX expression between exposed and sham-exposed cells. X-ray-treated cells as positive control showed a significant increase in gammaH2AX expression. CONCLUSION: The static magnetic field alone and MRI sequences at 3 Tesla have no effect on the induction of DSBs in HL-60 and KG-1a cells.

Published 5 November 2007 in J Magn Reson Imaging, 26(5): 1308-14.
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