Interactions between synchrotron radiation X-ray and biological tissues - theoretical and clinical significance.

Synchrotron radiation (SR) X-ray has great potential for its applications in both diagnosis and treatment of diseases, due to its characteristic properties including coherence, collimation, monochromaticity, and exceptional brightness. Great advances have been made regarding potential medical applications of SR X-ray in recent years, particularly with the development of the third generation of SR light sources. However, multiple studies have also suggested damaging effects of SR X-ray on biological samples ranging from protein crystals to cells and biological tissues. It has become increasingly important to conduct comprehensive studies on two closely related topics regarding SR X-ray in medical applications: The safety issues regarding the medical applications of SR X-ray and the fundamental mechanisms underlying the interactions between SR X-ray and biological tissues. In this article, we attempted to provide an overview of the literatures regarding these two increasingly significant topics. We also proposed our hypothesis that there are significant differences between the biological tissue-damaging mechanisms of SR X-ray and those of normal X-ray, due to the characteristic properties of SR X-ray such as high dose rate. Future studies are warranted to test this hypothesis, which may profoundly improve our understanding regarding the fundamental mechanisms underlying the interactions between light and matter. These studies would also constitute an essential basis for establishing the safety standard for the medical applications of SR X-ray.