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Persistence of apoptosis and inflammatory responses in the heart and bone marrow of mice following whole-body exposure to 28Silicon (28Si) ions

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Abstract

It has been well established that the bone marrow (BM) is a radiosensitive tissue, but the radiosensitivity of the heart is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the comparative effects of 28Silicon (28Si) ions (one type of heavy ion found in space) on tissue from the heart and the BM of exposed mice. We gave adult male CBA/CaJ mice a whole-body exposure to a total dose of 0, 0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 Gy of 300 MeV/nucleon (n) 28Si ions, using a fractionated schedule (two exposures, 15 days apart that totaled each selected dose). The heart and BM were collected from 5 mice per treatment group at various times up to 6 months post-irradiation. In each mouse, we obtained tissue lysates from the heart and from the total population of BM cells for measuring the levels of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (cleaved PARP, a marker of apoptotic cell death) and the levels of activated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and selected NF-κB-regulated cytokines known to be involved in inflammatory responses. Our data showed that, up to 6 months post-irradiation, the levels of apoptotic cell death and inflammatory responses in tissues from the heart and BM collected from exposed mice were statistically higher than those in sham controls. Hence, these findings are suggestive of chronic apoptotic cell death and inflammation in both tissues after exposure to 28Si ions. In summary, our data are indicative of a possible association between exposure to 28Si ions during space flight and long-term health risk.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Grant # NNX11AK91G. We thank Dr. Peter Guida and his team for logistic support, MaryAnn Petry and her BLAF staff for their assistance in animal handling. We also thank Drs. Adam Rusek and Michael Sivertz for dosimetry support. Editorial help from Ms. Louise Honikel and Dr. Marinel M. Ammenheuser is greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pathology Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-8691, USA

    Montree Tungjai & Kanokporn Noy Rithidech

  2. Department of Radiologic Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Center of Excellence for Molecular Imaging, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand

    Montree Tungjai

  3. Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA

    Elbert B. Whorton

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  1. Montree Tungjai
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Correspondence to Kanokporn Noy Rithidech.

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Tungjai, M., Whorton, E.B. & Rithidech, K.N. Persistence of apoptosis and inflammatory responses in the heart and bone marrow of mice following whole-body exposure to 28Silicon (28Si) ions. Radiat Environ Biophys 52, 339–350 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-013-0479-4

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