Ionizing radiation effects modelling in cells population with gold nanoparticles

Abstract

Radiosensitizer such as gold nanoparticle is a promising agent to be used in radiotherapy to increase the number of cancer cell death. Gold nanoparticle increases the production of the secondary electron after being hit by primary radiation that will cause DNA damage. The gold nanoparticle can be targeted to specific cancer cells and therefore reduce damage to the healthy nearby cell. Thus, nanoparticles will elevate the efficacy of radiation treatment without delivering a high radiation dose that will damage the organ at risk. Therefore, this paper aimed to study the effects of radiosensitizer on radiation therapy. The study was done by incorporating the function of dose deposited by gold nanoparticles into the existing model of ionizing radiation effects. The model was mathematically described using Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs). The simulation results were fitted to the Linear Quadratic (LQ) formulation to give the ratio for α/β. Next, the parameter estimation and sensitivity analysis of the model are carried out using experimental data of HeLa cell with the aid of the MATLAB programming. The estimated parameter values can explain the radiobiology process, which can support the result of the experimental design. The result showed that the sum-squared error (SSE) between simulation data and experimental data obtained is 0.015 which indicates an excellent fit to the experimental data. Thus, this model is in line with the experimental result. The model is able to explain the dynamics process of ionizing radiation effects with gold nanoparticles on the cell population.