Interaction of Eu(III) with Mammalian Cells as a Function of Eu(III) Concentration and Nutrient Composition

In case of the release of long-lived radionuclides, e.g., actinides, into the environment, knowledge about their behavior in biosystems is necessary to assess and prevent health risks for humans. This includes knowledge about bioavailability and toxicity of actinides for/onto cells, which are governed to a large extent by their speciation [1]. In order to enable a better understanding of these processes, we study interaction processes of trivalent actinides/lanthanides with mammalian cells on a cellular level combining biochemical and spectroscopic methods. In the present work we studied the cellular tolerance of FaDu cells (human squamous cell carcinoma cell line) toward Eu(III), as an analog for trivalent actinides, and its uptake into the cells as a function of the metal concentration and the nutrient composition. In parallel, the Eu(III) speciation in the culture media was studied by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) to correlate Eu(III) toxicity and uptake with its chemical speciation.

[1] Ansoborlo, E. et al., Biochimie 88 (2006), 1605.