THE USE OF BONE MARROW CELL INJECTIONS IN LETHALLY IRRADIATED MICE

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1962 · Metropolitan Detroit Sci. Rev.

OSTI ID:4779779

Cosgrove, G E

Deaths following external whole-body irradiation in mice (and other mammals) are usually classified into three main ttypes. Those occurring at the lower dose range are largely a consequence of damage to the blood forming tissues, such as bone marrow. Those in mid-range are predominantly due to intestinal damage. The higher doses, 10,000 to 20,000 r and over, cause deaths from central nervous system damage. To date only exposure in the lowest ranges can be effectively treated. Although not discussed here, certain protective chemicals, if present in the mouse at the time of irradiation, can effectively increase radioresistance. Bone marrow cell injection is also very effective in increasing survival rates after lethal irradiation. In the basic technique, several million nucleated bone marrow cells are flushed from the long bones of a donor mouse using physiologic fluid such as Tyrode's solution. A cell suspension is prepared by repeatedly drawing the marrow suspension through a small gauge needle. The suspension is then injected intravenously into the previously irradiated recipient mouse. Recovery for the first 30-day period after irradiation is often dramatic. The cells must not be injected before irradiation or they will be killed or damaged by the irradiation and be useless to the recipient. They may be injected as late as 4 to 7 days after irradiation and still result in better survival. The cells must be alive at the time of injection since the good effect is the result of their transplantation and growth in blood-forming tissues. The injected mouse, then, becomes a chimera, containing two different populations of cells, his own and those derived from proliferation of the donor cells. Usually the content of one temur, tibia, or other long bone contains enough cells to rescue an irradiated recipient. In genetically uniform strains of mice the potential dangers of antigen-antibody reactions between donor and recipient are negligible. However, this uniformity is hard to attain in other species, e.g., in man it would be practical only by using identical twins as donor and recipient. In mice we can produce delayed ns of unrelated mice as donors and recipients. Such donors are homologous to the recipients, i.e., being of the same species of animal but not genetically identical. The term isologous is used for donors of the same species and same genetic constitution and the term heterologous when donor and recipient are of different species, e.g., rat and mouse. Bone marrow transfusion reactions often do not show up until the second month after irradiation. In other words, the transfused cells protect the animal from acute radiation lethality for 30 days or more before a delayed immune reaction occurs, which may be lethal. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
• NSA Number: NSA-17-002885
• OSTI ID: 4779779
• Journal Information: Metropolitan Detroit Sci. Rev., Journal Name: Metropolitan Detroit Sci. Rev. Vol. Vol: 23
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ANIMAL CELLS
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BLOOD FORMATION
BONE MARROW
BRAIN
CHEMICALS
CHIMERAS
IMMUNITY
INTESTINE
IRRADIATION
LETHAL DOSE
LIFETIME
MICE
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIATION PROTECTION
RECOVERY
TRANSPLANTS