Prevention and treatment of the gastric symptoms of radiation sickness

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Radiat. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3577308· OSTI ID:6579808

Dubois, A; Fiala, N; Boward, C A; Bogo, V

Currently available treatments for radiation-induced nausea and vomiting either are ineffective or reduce performance. The new antiemetic and gastrokinetic agent zacopride was tested in rhesus monkeys to assess its behavioral toxicity and its ability to inhibit radiation-induced emesis. Zacopride (intragastric, 0.3 mg/kg) or a placebo was given blindly and randomly in the basal state and 15 min before a whole-body 800 cGy 60Co gamma-radiation dose (except for the legs which were partially protected to permit survival of some bone marrow). We determined (1) gastric emptying rates; (2) the presence and frequency of retching and vomiting; and (3) the effect of zacopride on the performance of a visual discrimination task in nonirradiated subjects. No vomiting, retching, or decreased performance was observed after either placebo or zacopride in the control state. Following irradiation plus placebo, 70 emeses were observed in 5 of 6 monkeys, and 353 retches were observed in all 6 monkeys. In contrast, only 1 emesis was observed in 1 of 6 monkeys and 173 retches were seen in 4 of 6 monkeys after irradiation plus zacopride (P less than 0.01). Zacopride also significantly inhibited radiation-induced suppression of gastric emptying. When given after the first vomiting episode in a separate group of irradiated monkeys, zacopride completely prevented any subsequent vomiting. The present results demonstrate that intragastric administration of zacopride significantly inhibited radiation-induced retching, vomiting, and suppression of gastric emptying in rhesus monkeys and did not cause detectable behavioral side effects when given to nonradiated monkeys. This observation has important implications in the treatment of radiation sickness.

• Research Organization: Uniformed Services Univ. of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6579808
• Journal Information: Radiat. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: Radiat. Res.; (United States) Vol. 115:3; ISSN RAREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560152* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Animals
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DRUGS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GAMMA RADIATION
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
INJURIES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONKEYS
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PRIMATES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOPROTECTIVE SUBSTANCES
RADIOSENSITIVITY EFFECTS
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES