The Effect of Strontium-89 on the Stem Cell Compartment of the Spleen

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Strontium-89, a bone seeking isotope was shown to suppress hematopoiesis in the bone marrow of rodents, and to cause an increase in the hematopoietic tissue of the spleen. Using the spleen colony method of McCulloch and Till, the effect of Sr89 on the number of colony forming units (CFU) in the spleen and bone marrow of mice was measured. Evidence is presented indicating that Sr89 induced radiation damage to the bone marrow results in depletion of marrow CFU followed by a marked proliferation of CFU in the spleen. These data suggest that a humoral mechanism may be involved in regulation of numbers of hematopoietic stem cells.