A cytogenetic comparison of the responses of mouse and human peripheral blood lymphocytes to 60Co gamma radiation.

Experiments were conducted to compare the chromosome damaging effects of 60Co gamma radiation on mouse and human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs). Either whole blood or isolated and pelleted mononuclear leucocytes (MNLs) were irradiated with a 60Co unit to yield exposures of 1, 2, 3, or 4 Gy. In addition, mice were whole-body irradiated in vivo with the same doses so that an in vitro-in vivo comparison could be made. The results indicate that mouse PBLs irradiated in whole blood, whether in vivo or in vitro, respond similarly to 60Co gamma rays as measured by dicentric chromosome formation. In addition, mouse and human PBLs showed a similar radiosensitivity, but because the mouse PBL data were best fitted to an exponential function and the human PBL data to a quadratic function, direct comparisons were difficult to make. Pelleted MNLs from mice were much less sensitive to the clastogenic effects of gamma radiation than whole blood. This is believed to be due to hypoxic conditions that developed during irradiation and transport. Human PBLs did not show a marked difference whether irradiated in whole blood or as pelleted MNLs in tissue culture medium.