Prenatal and neonatal radiation injury and lymphohematopoietic development in the dog

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6700093

Nold, J B

Immunologic and hematopoietic responses were studied in beagle dogs following prenatal or neonatal irradiation to evaluate the effects of ionizing radiation on the developing lymphohematopoietic system. In prenatally-irradiated dogs thymic medullary volumes were significantly reduced at birth, but had returned to control levels by 12 weeks of age. Irradiated dogs exhibited a significant reduction in primary humoral antibody responses and showed a concurrent decrease in T helper lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. In neonatally-irradiated dogs lymphocyte blastogenic responses were sharply decreased at 8 weeks, but returned to control levels by 12 weeks of age. Contact sensitivity to dinitrochlorobenzene was decreased, indicating reduced cell-mediated immune responses. Alterations in peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations included decreases in B cells and increases in T cells, possibly due to increased numbers of T suppressor cells. There were significant reductions in body size and body tissue weights in all irradiated dogs, although these were more severe and persistent in the prenatally-irradiated dogs. These data show that prenatally or neonatally-irradiated dogs have significantly postnatal immunologic and hematopoietic defects. The effect on bone marrow function in prenatally-irradiated dogs was more severe and persistent than in neonatally-irradiated animals; however, the neonatally-irradiated dogs exhibited more severe alterations in lymphocyte subpopulations than did the prenatally-irradiated dogs. The observation of altered lymphocyte subpopulations suggests altered immunoregulation and raises some important questions relating to radiation-induced immunodeficiency and increased susceptibility to clinical disease, including neoplasia.

• Research Organization: Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6700093
• 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.
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
BONE MARROW CELLS
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISEASES
DOGS
GROWTH
HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM
IMMUNE REACTIONS
INHIBITION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
LYMPHOCYTES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
SOMATIC CELLS
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES