Relative Biological Effectiveness of Negative Pi Mesons for the Immune Response in Mice

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Abstract
Immunologically competent mouse spleen cells were exposed to negative pi mesons in the entrance plateau or at the peak of the dose distribution at a maximum dosage of 5 rads/min or to 60Co .gamma.-rays at 4.96 rads/min. Survival curves from cells irradiated in vitro but incubated in vivo yielded RBE [relative biological effectiveness] values of 2.15 for the peak and 1.84 for the entrance plateau at a surviving fraction of 0.1. The dose-rate dependence of antibody-forming spleen cells for both 60Co .gamma.-rays and the low-linear energy transfer components of the pion beam is discussed. These RBE values constitute an upper limit for normal mammalian cells exposed to pions and the RBE with clinically useful dose rates may be significantly lower than those reported here.

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