A Comparison of the Effects of X-Irradiation and Colchicine on the Intestinal Mucosa of the Mouse

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Mice were injected with 0. 04 mg of colchicine once daily and sacrificed at intervals from 2 hours to 4 days. The effects on the intestinal epithelium were compared to those found after similar intervals in mice that had received 3 krads of x-radiation. The characteristic loss of epithelium, the reduction in number and abnormal appearance of mitochondria, and the depletion of ribosomes observed in irradiated mice failed to develop in drug-treated animals. Additionally, extreme shortening of crypts and villi did not occur in mice treated with colchicine. These observations suggest that the effects produced by ionizing radiation cannot be attributed only to blockage of mitosis and interference with cell renewal but that undifferentiated postmitotic cells are irreversibly damaged, thus producing a cell population that is functionally incompetent.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: