Age-correlated somatic radioprotection of Drosophila melanogaster imagoes in selected environments during irradiation

Imaginal stages of Drosophila melanogaster were exposed to a wide range of doses of Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation (between 0 and 180 kilorads). The exposures were made in the presence of air or of selected environments. These environments, carefully controlled at the time irradiation took place, were: (1) 100 percent nitrogen gas, (2) 100 percent carbon dioxide gas, (3) 100 percent oxygen, (4) a gas mixture of 50 percent oxygen and 50 percent carbon dioxide, and (5) reduced atmospheric pressure, such as 20, 40, 60, and 80 Torr. The age of the imagoes, chosen to cover an ample range of the life span of the insects, were 1, 10, 20, and 30 days. The evaluation of these compounds as radioprotectors indicates that most of them are less effective in insects than they are in mammals. However, because the route of administration used might not be the best suited to building up an effective chemical body burden against such high doses of irradiation (85 to 100 kilorads), these compounds need further evaluation in the field of radioprotection