Abstract
IT is known that the response of animals to whole-body X-irradiation in the lethal range can be modified by certain changes in their physiological state induced before exposure. For example, the administration of oestrogens1, bacterial endotoxin2, colchicine3, or urethane4 to mice 1 day or more before lethal irradiation results in a modest but definite increase in the number of animals surviving over a period of 30 days. The mechanism(s) by which these diverse agents enhance the radiation resistance of rodents is not clear; however, it can be stated that their protective effect must be mediated by way of modes of action different from those of the “classical” chemical radioprotectors such as cysteine, cysteamine or AET5, which are only effective when administered immediately before (about 30 min) irradiation.
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SHIPMAN, W., COLE, L. Increased Resistance of Mice to X-irradiation after the Injection of Bee Venom. Nature 215, 311–312 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/215311a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/215311a0
