Determination of Blood Parameters using Scanning Electron Microscopy as a Prototype Model for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Radiation Therapy for Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Using the method of SEM in patients with cervical cancer (CC) during radiation therapy (RT) revealed differences in the size and morphology of nanoparticles (NP) localized on the outer surface of the erythrocyte membrane. We found that NP-V (“viruses”) objects localized on the surface of the erythrocyte membrane of CC patients before RT have more distinct contours and are smaller in comparison with the number of NP-EV (extracellular vesicles) arising during RT. Our previous study showed that NP-V objects are evenly distributed not only on the surface of erythrocytes but also in blood plasma, and that during the RT the amount of NP-V decreases, while NP-EV both increases and decreases. The linear size of the NP-EV is characterized by a Gaussian distribution, while the NP-V has a normal size distribution in certain ranges with different mean values. We found that the number of NP-Vs having different linear dimensions differ significantly. Using X-ray radiation, we established characteristic elemental composition of NP. The PCR method was used to determine the HPV DNA in blood samples from CC patients. The revealed differences in the morphology and composition of NP, as well as the data of PCR analysis, possibly indicate their different nature and can be used as a criterion for assessing the effectiveness of RT and the recovery period.

Keywords

• scanning electron microscopy
• cervical cancer
• extracellular vesicle
• nanoparticle