Elemental detection and mapping of rat bone matrix induced by chemoradiotherapy with confocal micro-XRF

Abstract Breast cancer is among the most prevalent malignant tumors in women. The administration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer treatment can lead to amenorrhea and substantial bone loss in women. Consequently, postmenopausal women are susceptible to the morbidity and mortality risks associated with breast cancer and postmenopausal osteoporosis. In this study, we investigated the impact of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on osteoporosis in female rats using confocal microbeam X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) method. The female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were categorized into three groups: the control group (G1), the chemotherapy and radiotherapy group (G2), and the radiotherapy-only group (G3). The SD rats were euthanized six weeks post chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and femur slices with a thickness of 1mm were obtained for confocal µ-XRF analysis. The results demonstrate a significant loss of calcium in the G2 and G3 groups, while the G2 group exhibited a substantial increase in Fe content compared to the G1 group. The conclusion can be drawn that the occurrence of osteoporosis is related to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, while the significant elevation in bone iron content signifies the progression of osteoporosis.