Radiobiological effects of low doses of tritiated water on developing mouse cerebellum from 17th day post-coitum.

ABSTRACT

Pregnant Swiss albino mice were maintain on tritiated drinking water of the activity of 111 and 11.1 kBq/ml after a priming injection of 74 and 7.4 kBq/ml body water respectively from 17th day of gestation till parturition. Animals were autopsied on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 weeks postpartum and studied for cerebellar vulnerability. Cerebellum suffered from radiopathological changes in 1, 2 and 3 weeks age groups of mice in terms of degeneration and loss of Purkinje cells leading to formation of empty basquets, vacuolation in molecular layer and interfoliar connective tissue and pycnosis in granule cells of granular cell layer at 11.1 kBq dose level. Mice of 4, 5 and 6 weeks age groups, being relatively radioresistant, showed lesser changes in comparison with 1 to 3 week old mice. Though, the nature of the damage remained the same, it tended to intensify at 111 kBq dose thereby reflecting a dose dependent variation.