A morphological study of continuously irradiated lymphosarcoma cells

Mouse lymphosarcoma LS/BL cells, cultivated as a free suspension in the peritoneal cavity of C57BL mice were continuously irradiated with a 60Co unit at an exposure rate of 35.8x10-5 mCkg-1s-1 (5 R/h). After 250 and 350 weeks of irradiation these cells were examined by light and electron microscopes. Both the cytoplasm and the nucleus underwent morphological alterations under continuous exposure. Areas of advanced cytoplasmic degradation were often observed and many nuclei showed wide indentations and prolongation of their shape. The number of mitochondria and vacuoles in the cytoplasm was increased markedly in the irradiated cells. Some of the described alterations caused by continuous irradiation are considered to act as compensatory mechanisms of the impaired cell. (author)