Faculty Collaboration Database

Vascular injury after whole thoracic x-ray irradiation in the rat. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2009 May 01;74(1):192-9

Date

04/14/2009

Pubmed ID

19362237

Pubmed Central ID

PMC2745917

DOI

10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.01.006

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-64049089817 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   58 Citations

Abstract

PURPOSE: To study vascular injury after whole thoracic irradiation with single sublethal doses of X-rays in the rat and to develop markers that might predict the severity of injury.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Rats that received 5- or 10-Gy thorax-only irradiation and age-matched controls were studied at 3 days, 2 weeks, and 1, 2, 5, and 12 months. Several pulmonary vascular parameters were evaluated, including hemodynamics, vessel density, total lung angiotensin-converting enzyme activity, and right ventricular hypertrophy.

RESULTS: By 1 month, the rats in the 10-Gy group had pulmonary vascular dropout, right ventricular hypertrophy, increased pulmonary vascular resistance, increased dry lung weights, and decreases in total lung angiotensin-converting enzyme activity, as well as pulmonary artery distensibility. In contrast, irradiation with 5 Gy resulted in only a modest increase in right ventricular weight and a reduction in lung angiotensin-converting enzyme activity.

CONCLUSION: In a previous investigation using the same model, we observed that recovery from radiation-induced attenuation of pulmonary vascular reactivity occurred. In the present study, we report that deterioration results in several vascular parameters for </=1 year after 10 Gy, suggesting sustained remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature. Our data support clinically relevant injuries that appear in a time- and dose-related manner after exposure to relatively low radiation doses.

Author List

Ghosh SN, Wu Q, Mäder M, Fish BL, Moulder JE, Jacobs ER, Medhora M, Molthen RC

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Body Weight
Female
Hematocrit
Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular
Lung
Lung Injury
Pulmonary Artery
Pulmonary Veins
Radiation Dosage
Radiation Injuries, Experimental
Rats
Renin
Thorax
Vascular Resistance