Therapy of combined radiation injuries with hemopoietic growth factors

Radiation accidents of the 5-7 th levels according to IAEA scale lead to life-threatening acute radiation syndrome and many patients will probably suffer from additional thermal burns. These combined injuries (CI) will be among the most difficult to achieve survival. Present therapeutic means need to augment with new approaches to stimulate host defence mechanisms, blood system recovery and to enhance survival. The evaluation of therapeutic properties of human recombinant G-CSF, IL-1,IL-2 and other so called 'biological response modifiers' on survival and blood recovery after CI was the purpose of this work. Experiments carried out with mice CBA x C57BL6 receiving 7 Gy total body irradiation followed by a full-thickness thermal bum of 10% of body surface. It established that G-CSF does not exhibit a positive modifying action on the damage level and on hematopoietic recovery. I.p two-four/fold infusion of IL-2 during the initial 2 days has provided a significant statistically survival increase from 40% (untreated mice with CI) to 86%. Single s.c IL-1 injection resulted in abrupt deterioration of the outcome when dealing with CI; three/fold administration of IL-1 in 2,4 and 6 days after CI did not increase survival. Extracellular yeast polysaccharides resulted only a 15 to 30% increase in survival it given 1 h after CI. The best results obtained when mixture of heat-killed L.acidophilus injected s.c immediately alter CI - survival has increased from 27% (untreated mice) to 80%. Revealed beneficial effects of IL-2 and biological response modifiers did not accompany by a corresponding correction of depressed hematological parameters