Effects of Acute and Chronic Exposure to X-Radiation on Phagocytic Activity

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Abstract
Summary: Exposure of mice to total body x-radiation in doses of either 300, 400 or 500 r does not affect the phagocytosis by reticuloendothelial cells of spleen of intravenously injected ThO2 when determined 2 days following radiation. However, similar investigations carried out on the seventh postradiation day indicated that 1) x-radiation in a dose of 300 r did not affect the localization of ThO2 in spleens; 2) a 400 r dose of x-radiation causes a transient depression of localization of ThO2 at 2 hr but 6 and 24 hr splenic uptake values were not different from the controls; and 3) x-radiation in a dose of 500 r significantly depressed the uptake by the mouse spleen of ThO2 at 2, 6 and 25 hr after injection. Whole-body x-radiation in a dose of 550 r suppressed the phagocytosis by reticuloendothelial cells of LAf1 mice when tested on the seventh postradiation day. Chronic exposures of mice to x-radiation in doses of 25 r three times per week until accumulated doses reach as high as 825 r did not affect the phagocytic function of the reticuloendothelial cells.