Development of hematopoietic syndrome mice model for localized radiation exposure

Current models to study the hematopoietic syndrome largely rely on the uniform whole-body exposures. However, in the radio-nuclear accidents or terrorist events, exposure can be non-uniform. The data available on the non-uniform exposures is limited. Thus, we have developed a mice model for studying the hematopoietic syndrome in the non-uniform or partial body exposure scenarios using the localized cobalt(60) gamma radiation exposure. Femur region of Strain 'A' male mice was exposed to doses ranging from 7 to 20 Gy. The 30 day survival assay showed 19 Gy as LD100 and 17 Gy as LD50. We measured an array of cytokines and important stem cell markers such as IFN-gamma, IL-3, IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, G-CSF, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, CD 34 and Sca 1. We found significant changes in IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, G-CSF, and IL-1 beta levels compared to untreated groups and amplified levels of CD 34 and Sca 1 positive population in the irradiated mice compared to the untreated controls. Overall, we have developed a mouse model of the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome that might be useful for understanding of the non-uniform body exposure scenarios. This may also be helpful in the screening of drugs intended for individuals suffering from radiation induced hematopoietic syndrome.

Automated summary

Researchers have developed a mouse model for studying hematopoietic syndrome in non-uniform or partial body exposure scenarios using cobalt(60) gamma radiation. They found significant changes in cytokines and stem cell markers in irradiated mice compared to untreated controls, indicating the potential usefulness of the model in understanding non-uniform body exposure scenarios.