The effect of radiocalcium (Ca-45) on the thymus and spleen in Indian desert gerbil (Meriones hurrianae, Jerdon)

Radiocalcium was injected to adult animals at the doses of 0.5 μCi/g body weight and 1.0 μCi/g body weight. Animals were sacrificed at intervals of 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after injection. Thymus and spleen were studied for histopathological damage produced. There occurred a maximum depopulation of cortical lymphocytes of the thymus at day 5 and 7 and the normal structure of thymus restored at day 14 with the occurrence of some abnormal cells. Marked extramedullary hematopoietic foci appeared at day 7 with the predominance of blast cells which differentiated into granulocytopoietic and megakaryocytopoietic cell lines at day 14. Spleen gave a more drastic response than the thymus. (author)