Abstract
The biological effects of ionizing radiation result in the formation offree
radicals which are the main cause of cellular damage. The aim of this
study is to investigate whether vitamin E (as DL-a-tocopherol acetate) and
selenium (as sodium selenate) exert a protective effect against radiation
damage.
Thirty adult male albino rats were used in this study. They were divided
into three equal groups. The first group was served as control. The second
group was given a fractionated dose of gamma radiation at a dose of
I Gy, once weekly for eight weeks. The third group was given a daily intraperitoneal
injection of DL-a-tocopherol acetate in a dose of 30mg / kg
body weight and sodium selenate in a dose of 0.5 mg/kg body weight for
two weeks before the start of radiation and during radiation. All experimental
animals were then sacrificed and the livers were removed and
prepared for both Light and electron microscopy.
The liver cells of the irradiated group showed granular vacuolar cytoplasm
with pylcnotic nuclei, moderate dilatation and hyperaemia of liver
sinusoids, intense glycogen accumulation, an increase and gathering in
the smooth endoplasmic reticulunt, swollen cisternae of the rough endoplasmic
reticulurn, and a decrease in the cristae of the mitochondria that
contain light matrix. In the irradiated treated group, the majority of liver
cells returned normal, although some had still mild changes. Based on
these morphological observations, it was concluded that the administration
of DL-a-tocopherol acetate and sodium selenate exerts a protective
effect against liver damage by radiation. |
