Boron-10 nucleus (10B)

Boron-10 nucleus is a stable, non-radioactive isotope of boron that serves as the fundamental target in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), a binary radiotherapeutic modality (Barth et al., 2012). The therapeutic principle relies on the high thermal neutron capture cross-section of the Boron-10 nucleus compared to other elements found in biological tissues (Nedunchezhian et al., 2016). Upon irradiation with low-energy thermal neutrons, the Boron-10 nucleus captures a neutron and immediately disintegrates into an alpha particle (4He) and a lithium-7 (7Li) nucleus (Sauerwein et al., 2021). These particles are characterized by high linear energy transfer (LET) and a very short path length of approximately 5 to 9 micrometers, which is roughly equivalent to one cell diameter (Barth et al., 2012). This allows for the selective destruction of malignant cells that have sequestered Boron-10, while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy cells (Nedunchezhian et al., 2016). The clinical application of Boron-10 requires its conjugation to tumor-seeking delivery agents, such as boronophenylalanine (BPA), to ensure high intracellular concentrations within the target tissue (Sauerwein et al., 2021). Boron-10 itself is biologically inert and non-toxic, only becoming therapeutically active upon activation by an external neutron beam (Barth et al., 2012).

Other names

Boron-1010B isotopeStable boron-10

Boron-10 captures thermal neutrons to trigger a nuclear fission reaction (10B(n,alpha)7Li), releasing high-energy alpha particles and lithium nuclei that cause localized double-strand DNA breaks within the cell (Barth et al., 2012).