Toxic Effects of Increasing Concentrations and Treatment Durations: Nuclear-Contaminated Water Kills Triple-Negative Mammary Carcinoma Cells by Means of Elevated ROS and DNA Damage

Nuclear - contaminated water, a concerning byproduct of nuclear mishaps and industrial operations, contains radioactive elements. These substances pose substantial threats to both human health and the environment. Since the release of processed water contaminated with nuclear substances into the Pacific Ocean in 2023, global concerns have been mounting. In this investigation, an analysis is conducted on the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects that nuclear - contaminated water exerts on MDA - MB - 231 cells. MDA - MB - 231 is a cell line typical of triple - negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is recognized for its aggressiveness and poor prognosis. We suspect that nuclear-contaminated water causes MDA - MB - 231 cells to enter a death pathway by ramping up reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and inflicting DNA damage. With the utilization of MTT assays, flow cytometry (CellROX), TUNEL assays, and Western blot analysis, we assessed cell viability, ROS production, breaks in DNA double - strands, as well as the existence of DNA damage - related proteins like PARP and p53. Based on how we designed the experiment, we think nuclear - contaminated water will raise ROS levels significantly, lower cell viability, and inflict DNA harm on MDA - MB - 231 cells, thereby backing up our hypothesis. These findings show that nuclear - contaminated water has certain potential health risks and help us understand how it's toxic, especially in relation to breast cancer. Our study really highlights the need for more research on the environmental and biological effects of radioactive contaminants.