In Silico Assessment of Cellular Damage From Lu-177, AC-225, and Pb-212 Therapeutic Radionuclides

Authors

Konstantinos P Chatzipapas
Konstantinos Papachristou
Dimitris Visvikis
Sebastien Incerti
John D Hazle
George C Kagadis

Language

English

Publication Date

11-1-2025

Journal

Medical Physics

DOI

10.1002/mp.70089

PMID

41145955

PMCID

PMC12559466

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

10-27-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Background: Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) has emerged as a unique and effective treatment modality for cancer. Monte Carlo simulations have greatly advanced investigations into radiation-caused DNA damage, including the complexity of this damage.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate DNA damage induced by high-linear energy transfer therapeutic radionuclides used in TRT, specifically 225Ac, 177Lu, and 212Pb, using Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo simulations.

Methods: The Geant4-DNA toolkit, incorporating the "molecularDNA" example, was employed to simulate radiation interactions within a human fibroblast cell model featuring a fractal chromatin fiber geometry within an ellipsoidal nucleus. Three source geometries (membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus) were modeled to assess the impact of radionuclide localization. Key metrics, including absorbed dose, double-strand break (DSB) yield, single-strand break/DSB ratio, and DSB/Gbp/decay, were calculated for 225Ac (alpha emitter), 177Lu (beta emitter), and 212Pb (mixed alpha/beta emitter). Simulations accounted for physical, physicochemical, and chemical stages, with validation against published data for 177Lu and 225Ac.

Results: Alpha emitter 225Ac exhibited the highest DSB/Gbp/decay (1.646 in nucleus geometry) and absorbed dose (0.256 Gy/decay), followed by 212Pb (0.455 DSB/Gbp/decay, 0.0684 Gy/decay), and 177Lu (0.0058 DSB/Gbp/decay, 0.0007 Gy/decay). DSB yields increased with proximity to the nucleus, with 225Ac showing up to 284 times greater DSB/Gbp/decay than 177Lu. Validation showed < 10% divergence from reference studies.

Conclusions: Geant4-DNA simulations highlight the superior radiobiological effectiveness of alpha emitters, particularly 225Ac, for inducing DNA damage and emphasize the importance of source localization. These findings enhance our understanding of TRT's radiobiological effects and can be used to support development of refined therapeutic strategies.

Keywords

Humans, Lutetium, Radioisotopes, Monte Carlo Method, Computer Simulation, Actinium, Lead Radioisotopes, DNA Damage, DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded, Fibroblasts, dosimetry, Geant4‐DNA, molecular radiotherapy, Monte Carlo simulations, radionuclide therapy

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Chatzipapas, Konstantinos P; Papachristou, Konstantinos; Visvikis, Dimitris; et al., "In Silico Assessment of Cellular Damage From Lu-177, AC-225, and Pb-212 Therapeutic Radionuclides" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 4632.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthgsbs_docs/4632