Recovery of rat duodenal mucosa after abdominal gamma irradiation with lethal doses

The abdomen of Wistar rats were exposed to a dose of 1,050 rads, and the animals treated with Kanamyzin. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 days after irradiation the duodenum was histologically and histochemically examined. During the first 2 days after irradiation the histological and histochemical results did not differ for irradiated controls and for animals irradiated and treated with Kanamyzin. After 3-4 days the controls died at the peak of destructive intestinal changes. In the animals treated with Kanamyzin an intense proliferation of the epithelium in the duodenal crypts was observed after 4 days, which comes to an end with the recovery of the epithelial layer on the 10th to 15th day. The normal mucous structure recovers later on. (author)