Effect of spermidine on the survival of saccharomyces cerevisiae cells irradiated with different doses of gamma rays

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were used to test the radioprotective effect of added spermidine [H3N(CH2)3NH2(CH2)4NH3]3+ as one of the natural polyamines that are essential for cell life. Spermidine plays an important role in suppressing radiation damages at certain concentration (10-5M/L), either via scavenging free radicals or via reducing the frequency of radiation - induced mutations. Spermidine increased noticeably the D10 value at concentration of 10-5 M/L compared with the other two used concentrations of 10-6 and 10-4 M/L. Applying spermidine before irradiation was more effective than applying it after irradiation. (author)