ABSTRACT
The plasmid layer deposited on a glass support, typically 600 nm in thickness, was irradiated in vacuum by one, two or three soft X-ray laser pulses, corresponding to absorbed doses up to 10 kGy. The irradiated plasmid DNA samples were then dissolved in water and were subsequently analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis, making possible the accurate measurement of single and double strand breaks induced by the monochromatic XRL radiation. The main asset of those experiments consists in better understanding the mechanisms of the DNA damage formation relevant to radiotherapy.
