Abstract
At 1 hour to 4 days after unilateral exposure of guinea pigs to a single dose (0·5, 1·5, or 3·0 Gy) of gamma-radiation, changes were detected in prostaglandin and thromboxane concentrations in parenchymal lung tissues. At 1–3 hours after exposure, tissue levels of PGF, PGE, and thromboxane B2 were significantly elevated in animals receiving 3·0 Gy, with the magnitude of alteration revealing a radiation dose effect. By 24 hours, tissue prostaglandin and thromboxane levels returned to near control values. Lung tissue synthesis of prostaglandins in response to H-1 receptor stimulation by the exogenous addition of histamine revealed similar radiation dose effects. The carboxylic acid ionophore A23187, exogenously applied to lung tissues, revealed a transient peak of increased sensitivity to ionophore stimulation for TxB2 synthesis at 24 hours and for PGF at 72 hours post-irradiation. The data suggest that significant alterations in prostaglandin and thromboxane concentrations in parenchymal lung tissues occur following irradiation, in a dose-dependent manner, and that altered responsiveness to H-1 receptor stimulation and divalent cation transport also occur.