Effect of radiation and age on immunoglobulin levels in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Radiation Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3578689· OSTI ID:79319

Stone, W H; Hackleman, S M; Braun, A M; Pennington, P; Saphire, D G ^[1]; Scheffler, J ^[2]; Wigle, J C; Cox, A B ^[3]

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1. Trinity Univ., San Antonio, TX (United States)
2. Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center, Madison, WI (United States)
3. USAF Armstrong Lab./ALOERT, Brooks Air Force Base, TX (United States)

We report the results of a study on the immunoglobulin levels of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) in a colony consisting of the survivors of monkeys that received a single whole-body exposure of protons, electrons or X rays between 1964 and 1969. This colony has been maintained to assess the long-term effects of ionizing radiation on astronauts and high-flying pilots. Of the original 358 monkeys that were retained for lifetime studies, 129 (97 irradiated and 32 controls) were available for our study. We found no significant difference between the irradiated and control monkeys in mean levels of IgA, IgG and IgM, irrespective of the radiation treatment. The availability of these aged monkeys provided a unique opportunity to compare their immunoglobulin levels to those of other monkeys of various ages, and thus assess the effect of age on immunoglobulin levels. We found that only the IgA levels increase with age. 48 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 79319
• Journal Information: Radiation Research, Journal Name: Radiation Research Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 138; ISSN RAREAE; ISSN 0033-7587
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ASTRONAUTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
IMMUNOGLOBULINS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MONKEYS
TIME DEPENDENCE
WHOLE-BODY IRRADIATION