Radiation damage of the salivary gland and effects of a radiation protective, 2

Histological observations were made on radiation damage of the parotid glands of rats. Changes in tissue occurred two days after exposure to various radiation doses, and specimens collected 1 and 2 weeks after radiation were observed with a light microscope and an electron microscope respectively. The observations were made in rats injected intraperitoneally with a radiation protectant (YM-08310, 200 mg/kg) 30 minutes before radiation, and untreated controls. Light-microscopic observations showed vacuolar degeneration, agranulocytes, and cellular atrophy that became severer with higher radiation doses. Electron-microscopy revealed light bodies which were reported to be present soon after radiation. In the animals treated with YM-08310, the changes observed by light microscopy were found milder compared to those in the untreated animals, and no light bodies were observed. Therefore, YM-08310 was demonstrated histologically to have a protective effect on the parotid gland in animal experiments. (author)