Experimental Oncology, 2016, № 4

Specific interactions between lectins and red blood cells of chornobyl cleanup workers as indicator of some late radiation effects

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Specific interactions between lectins and red blood cells of chornobyl cleanup workers as indicator of some late radiation effects Karpova, I.S. Aim: Growing interest in lectins is based on their diagnostic and pharmacological potential, especially the ability to inhibit proliferation and initiate apoptosis of cancer cells. In our research microplate lectinoassay able to detect carbohydrate containing structures (receptors) on erythrocyte surface have been proposed for Chornobyl cleanup workers (1986) monitoring. It was expected to reveal specific abnormalities associated with pathological condition arising as a result of late radiation effects. Materials and Methods: Red blood cell (RBC) specimens were taken from 171 persons distributed into the six cohorts: nonexposed donors (1); chronically exposed to the doses below (2) and over 50 cGy (3); exposed to acute radiation without (4) and with manifestation of acute radiation syndrome (5 and 6). Lectins from 24 species of medicinal plants were purified by ethanol fractionation and electrofocusing. Intensity of lectin-receptor interactions was determined in reaction of hemagglutination. Method of flow cytofluorometry was used to study B-cell counts. Hormone levels in blood serum were determined by radioimmunoassay. Results: An elevated ability of RBC to interact with the panel of lectins was found in all cohorts of exposed persons versus nonexposed donors, moreover, changes in the intensity of lectin-receptor binding depended on the dose of irradiation. Diagnostic value of specific RBC reactions with some individual lectins has been elucidated. Elevated intensity of RBC reaction with Zea mays lectin was accompanied by a decrease in serum content of thyroid hormones T4 and T3, as well as reduction of B-cell counts. In the case of Rubus caesius lectin the more intensive reaction with RBC, the higher level of hormone cortisol was observed. Conclusions: Deviations from donor’s norm in intensity of lectin — RBC interactions in radiation exposed men are supposed to carry information about negative changes in their health status following Chornobyl catastrophe and show the diagnostic potential. The most sensitive reactions have been associated primarily with shifts in endocrine and immune systems. This article is a part of a Special Issue entitled “The Chornobyl Nuclear Accident: Thirty Years After”.

Several aspects of descriptive epidemiology of hematological malignancies in adult population of Ukraine, Belarus and Russian Federation after Chornobyl accident

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Several aspects of descriptive epidemiology of hematological malignancies in adult population of Ukraine, Belarus and Russian Federation after Chornobyl accident Guslitser, L.N.; Zavelevich, M.P.; Koval, S.V.; Gluzman, D.F. Chornobyl impact on the health of adult population in Ukraine, Belarus and Russian Federation was a subject of several studies. However, the studies of the effects of Chornobyl on leukemia in adult populations in post-Soviet countries are scarce and the results are contradictory up to present. The results of the epidemiological studies of the oncohematological consequences of Chornobyl accident are briefly reviewed with particular focus on pre-Chornobyl and post-Chornobyl trends in leukemia incidence in Ukraine, Belarus and Russian Federation as well as in small territories of these countries with various levels of radionuclide contamination. This article is a part of a Special Issue entitled “The Chornobyl Nuclear Accident: Thirty Years After”.

Disordered redox metabolism of brain cells in rats exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation or uhf electromagnetic radiation

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Disordered redox metabolism of brain cells in rats exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation or uhf electromagnetic radiation Burlaka, A.P.; Druzhyna, M.O.; Vovk, A.V.; Lukin, S.M. Aim: To investigate the changes of redox-state of mammalian brain cells as the critical factor of initiation and formation of radiation damage of biological structures in setting of continuous exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation or fractionated ultra high frequency electromagnetic radiation (UHF EMR) at non-thermal levels. Materials and Methods: The influence of low-intensity ionizing radiation was studied on outbred female rats kept for 1.5 years in the Chernobyl accident zone. The effects of total EMR in the UHF band of non-thermal spectrum were investigated on Wistar rats. The rate of formation of superoxide radicals and the rate of NO synthesis in mitochondria were determined by the EPR. Results: After exposure to ionizing or UHF radiation, the levels of ubisemiquinone in brain tissue of rats decreased by 3 and 1.8 times, respectively. The content of NO-FeS-protein complexes in both groups increased significantly (р < 0.05). In the conditions of ionizing or EMR the rates of superoxide radical generation in electron-transport chain of brain cell mitochondria increased by 1.5- and 2-fold, respectively (р < 0.05). In brain tissue of rats kept in the Chernobyl zone, significant increase of NO content was registered; similar effect was observed in rats treated with UHFR (р < 0.05). Conclusions: The detected changes in the electron transport chain of mitochondria of brain cells upon low-intensity irradiation or UHF EMR cause the metabolic reprogramming of cell mitochondria that increases the rate of superoxide radical generation and nitric oxide, which may initiate the development of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “The Chornobyl Nuclear Accident: Thirty Years After”.

Genetic effects in children exposed in prenatal period to ionizing radiation after the chornobyl nuclear power plant accident

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Genetic effects in children exposed in prenatal period to ionizing radiation after the chornobyl nuclear power plant accident Stepanova, Ye.I.; Vdovenko, V.Yu.; Misharina, Zh.A.; Kolos, V.I.; Mischenko, L.P. Aim: To study the genetic effects in children exposed to radiation in utero as a result of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident accounting the total radiation doses and equivalent radiation doses to the red bone marrow. Materials and Methods: Incidence of minor developmental anomalies was studied in children exposed to radiation in utero (study group) and in the control group (1144 subjects surveyed in total). Cytogenetic tests using the method of differential G-banding of chromosomes were conducted in 60 children of both study and control groups (10–12-year-olds) and repeatedly in 39 adolescents (15–17-year-olds). Results: A direct correlation was found between the number of minor developmental anomalies and fetal dose of radiation, and a reverse one with fetal gestational age at the time of radiation exposure. Incidence of chromosomal damage in somatic cells of 10–12-year-old children exposed prenatally was associated with radiation dose to the red bone marrow. The repeated testing has revealed that an increased level of chromosomal aberrations was preserved in a third of adolescents. Conclusion: The persons exposed to ionizing radiation at prenatal period should be attributed to the group of carcinogenic risk due to persisting increased levels of chromosome damage. This article is a part of a Special Issue entitled “The Chornobyl Nuclear Accident: Thirty Years After”.