Radiation-induced apoptosis varies among individuals and is modified by sex and age.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Although there are considerable data on mechanisms of radiation-induced apoptosis in vitro and in animal models, little is known about functional variation in these pathways in humans. We sought to develop a tractable system to evaluate this.

Materials and methods

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 90 healthy volunteers, divided into two aliquots, one irradiated with a 5 Gy dose and the other sham-treated (0 Gy), and assessed for damage-induced apoptosis after 24 hours. To investigate reproducibility, 10 individuals spanning the entire radiation-induced apoptotic range were tested three times each, with 3-6 months between replicates.

Results

We observed surprising heterogeneity in apoptosis among individuals, ranging from 21-62%. Biological

SUBMITTER: Applebaum MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4222525 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature