Prevention and treatment of the gastric symptoms of radiation sickness
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), Vol. 115:3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Effects of zacopride and BMY25801 (batanopride) on radiation-induced emesis and locomotor behavior in the ferret
Treatment of vomiting and of gastric emptying suppression in primates after gamma irradiation
Related Subjects
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOPROTECTIVE SUBSTANCES
RADIOSENSITIVITY EFFECTS
COBALT 60
GAMMA RADIATION
MONKEYS
RADIATION INJURIES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
COBALT ISOTOPES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DRUGS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INJURIES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PRIMATES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
560152* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Animals