Role of the Spleen in Carbon-induced Radioprotection

Abstract
A comparison was made of colony forming unit (CFU) changes after X-irradiation in the spleen and femur in mice. The CFU in the spleen returned to normal by day 15 after irradiation, while bone marrow recovery was slower. The microenvironment of the spleen may be important in the recovery of the hemopoietic system to acute radiation damage. Carbon-induced enhancement of hemopoietic stem-cell recovery occurred mainly in the spleen.