Prolongation of the antiradiation properties of cystamine through covalent carboxymetyldextran binding

An assessement is made of the toxicity and radioprotective effect of carboxymethyldextran - cystamine. The compound at dose 500 mg/kg which is equivalent to 107 mg/kg cystamine, is administered by intraperitoneal route into mice of the H line, at intervals of 30 min, 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 hours prior to acute gamma irradiation by 9 Gy. The radioprotective effect of the carrier carboxymethyldextran is assayed under analogical experimental set-up. The obtained results attest to a marked protective effect of the cystamine analogue at 12 and 24 hours after administration, while the comparative assessement points to a noticeable improvement and prolongation of its radioprotective effect. (author)