The Effect of Age on Two Modes of Radiation Death and on Hematopoietic Cell Survival in the Mouse

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Abstract
Female C57BL/6J mice, between the ages of 3 and 24 months, were tested for 3 measures of radiosensitivity; marrow death, intestinal death, and hematopoietic stem cell content and survival, as estimated by the ability to form spleen colonies. The 2 modes of death show dissimilar aging patterns; marrow resistance, increases to a maximum at 17 to 19 months of age, while intestinal resistance declines from 3 months onward. The median lethal dose for 30-day survival is a composite of sensitivity to both modes of death, with intestinal sensitivity becoming increasingly important as the age of the mouse is increased. The resistance to marrow death is accounted for by the number of stem cells present in the femoral marrow of the aging mouse, and by the surviving number after X-ray exposure. As was the case with resistance to marrow death, the number of stem cells in the femur increased through 18 months and declined thereafter.

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