Transient impedance changes in venous endothelial monolayers as a biological radiation dosimetry response

In March of 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent 14 m-high tsunami caused major damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. While cancer incidence in the radiation-exposed population is a logical concern, the complex effects of radiation on the heart and cardiovascular system are also of interest. Immediate and early vascular radiation effects could be exploited as a dosimetry modality. To test whether non-coronary vasculature exhibited transient perturbation in barrier function, video microscopy studies and Electric Cell Substrate Impedance Sensing technology were used to probe very subtle changes in primary human vascular endothelium. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayers exhibit a transient, statistically significant decrease (P = 0.017) in monolayer resistance 3 h after irradiation with 5.0 Gy of g rays. Radiation induced perturbations in HUVEC monolayer permeability are similar in magnitude and kinetics to those observed in coronary arterial endothelium. Therefore, at least two types of vasculature respond to radiation on ECIS arrays with an early transient disruption in permeability. The finding supports the use of early passage HUVECs for use in bioelectric dosimetry studies of vasculature and suggests that permeability of vessels could potentially serve as a biological dosimetry tool.