Planarians as an In Vivo Experimental Model for the Study of New Radioprotective Substances

Ionising radiation causes the death of the most actively dividing cells, thus leading to depletion of the stem cell pool. Planarians are invertebrate flatworms that are unique in that their stem cells, called neoblasts, constantly replace old, damaged, or dying cells. Amenability to efficient RNAi treatments, the rapid development of clear phenotypes, and sensitivity to ionising radiation, combined with new genomic technologies, make planarians an outstanding tool for the discovery of potential radioprotective agents. In this work, using the well-known antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, planarians are, for the first time, shown to be an excellent model system for the fast and effective screening of novel radioprotective and radio-sensitising substances. In addition, a panel of measurable parameters that can be used for the study of radioprotective effects on this model is suggested.

Automated summary

Planarians, with their unique stem cells and sensitivity to ionising radiation, are an excellent model system for screening novel radioprotective agents. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine was shown to be effective in this model, suggesting its potential for discovering new radioprotective and radio-sensitising substances. Measurable parameters for studying radioprotective effects in this model have also been proposed.