Correlation of Radiation-Induced Ultrastructural Changes in Mouse Hepatocytes with Alterations in Plasma Concentration of Protein-Bound Neutral Hexoses

Abstract

C3H mice were subjected to a whole-body dose of 530 rads of mixed gammaneutron radiation delivered at a rate of approximately 20 rads/min. The blood plasma concentration of protein-bound carbohydrates, as neutral hexoses, was estimated daily after irradiation. Ultrastructural architecture of liver tissue taken from irradiated animals in extremis was compared with that of survivors and fed and starved unirradiated controls. Among the radiation-induced differences observed in the hepatocytes were moderate to marked dilatation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, increased Golgi activity, and rounding of the mitochondria with a decrease in numbers of mitochondrial granules. These alterations, together with other differences noted, were correlated with the increased plasma concentration of proteinbound neutral hexoses uniformly found in animals which succumb to radiation injury.

Pharmacology of the Skin I

“…The activity of rat liver cathepsin B is increased 24 h after whole-body X-ray irradiation with 800 rads (KOCMIERSKA-GRODZA and GOUTIER 1971). The late post-irradiation increase in lysosomal enzyme activities may be due to stimulated synthesis of new enzymes or activation of pre-existing latent enzymes (RENE and EVANS 1970;RENE et al 1971;PARIS et al 1969), or may be caused by invading inflammatory cells. The finding that following irradiation the activity of enzymes in the Golgi vesicles is increased before their incorporation into lysosomes speaks in favour of increased synthesis (HUGON and BORGERS 1965).…”