Protection against Ionizing Radiation at the Cellular Level, Assessed by Various Parameters

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Abstract
The radioprotective effects of cysteamine, glycerol and dimethyl sulphoxide were investigated at the cellular level. The incidence of anaphase bridges occurring at 1 hour after irradiation and the length of mitotic delay served as criteria for radiation damage. The data were compared with those on protection against radiation-induced loss of reproductive integrity obtained in previously published experiments. It was shown that the protection assessed by any of the three parameters was of the same magnitude. This similarity in response to protection suggests a similarity in the nature of the lesions involved. Damage to the cell membrane, as shown by leakage of haemoglobin and potassium from rat erythrocytes, indicated a different protective capacity of the three compounds. This was most evident with dimethyl sulphoxide, which protected as judged by the three criteria mentioned in the first paragraph, but sensitized with regard to membrane permeability. Since radiation-induced mortality of animals is mostly due to a loss of the reproductive integrity of certain stem cells, the value of chemicals with regard to the protection of whole animals cannot be assessed on account of their effectiveness in protecting the cell membrane.