Effect of Chemical Protection and Bone Marrow Treatment on Radiation Injury in Mice

MEG (prepared from 9.0 mg. of AET) significantly modified the response of the bone marrow, peripheral blood leukocytes, spleen, thymus, body weight, hematocrit, and histology of the hematopoietic organs to lethal (900 r) and sublethal (450 r) x-irradiation in CAF₁ mice.

MEG reduced the effect of 900 r on the bone marrow, granulocytes of the blood, hematocrit, spleen, thymus, and body weight by a factor of approximately two.

Combined treatment (MEG and isologous bone marrow) of mice exposed to 900 r of x-rays demonstrated that MEG is primarily responsible for preventing the early destruction of the bone marrow, but bone marrow injection was primarily responsible for causing a more rapid recovery of the bone marrow.

In mice receiving combined treatment, recovery of the leukocytes and spleen was primarily influenced by the bone marrow injection; whereas recovery of the thymus and body weight was primarily influenced by MEG. The hematocrit values were normal after combined treatment.