Trabecular bone changes induced by fast neutrons versus gamma rays in mice

The trabecular bone changes in the tibia of C3H/HeN mice were measured 12 weeks after whole body irradiation with various doses of fast neutrons (0-2.4 Gy) or 137Cs-generated gamma-rays (0-6 Gy). Serum calcium, phosphorus, estradiol concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity were measured. Tibiae were analyzed using microcomputed tomography. Biomechanical property and osteoclast surface level were measured. There was a significant relationship between the loss of bone architecture and the radiation dose, and the best-fitting dose-response curves were linear-quadratic. Mean relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values (Ref. gamma) of 2.05 and 2.33 were estimated for fast neutron irradiation in trabecular bone volume fraction and bone mineral density, respectively. There was a substantial reduction in osteoclast surface level in tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-stained histological sections of tibial metaphyses in irradiated mice with high dose of neutrons. There was a significant relationship between the loss of bone architecture and the radiation dose. The difference of osteoclastic bone resorption may represent a contributor to the low RBE in high dose of irradiation level relative to that of low dose level.