Experimental Study on the Effects of L(+)-Ascorbic Acid Treatment to the ESR Signals of Human Fingernails

The effects of L(+)-ascorbic acid (AA) (an antioxidant commonly known as vitamin C) on the electron spin resonance (ESR) signals from fingernails were examined in relation to X-ray and UV irradiation. The ESR signal intensity, stability, and sensitivity to radiation were measured under different storage conditions. The experimental results indicated that the behavior of the increase in the ESR intensity of the AA samples varied depending on the storage and location conditions, showing sensitivity to light and signal instability at room temperature. It was found that the AA treatment caused a large increase in the peak-to-peak intensities with continuous signal growth with storage time, which may provide an enhancement to the radiation-dependent signal in fingernails. It was also suggested that the use of AA for pre-treatment could sufficiently remove the disturbing signals induced by heat or UV light exposure, which is expected to improve the reliability of radiation dosimetry using fingernails. Further studies with different antioxidant conditions are needed to better characterize the complex changes of the ESR signals from fingernails.