A Comparison between the Effects in Mice of Injected Organic Peroxides and of Whole-body X-irradiation

Summary

The toxic effects of whole-body x-irradiation and of intraperitoneally injected linoleic acid peroxide, disuccinoyl peroxide, dibenzoyl peroxide, 1 hydroxycyclohexyl hydroperoxide, tetralin hydroperoxide and tert.-butyl hydroperoxide have been studied in R♀ mice. There is no resemblance between the times of death after radiation and after peroxides. The latter act very rapidly, and most deaths occur in the first three days after treatment. Disuccinoyl peroxide and dibenzoyl peroxide differ from radiation in their effect on the growth-curves of animals surviving sub-lethal doses. Additive experiments, in which peroxides and radiation are given together, do not generally cause any marked augmentation of toxic effects by the two agents. A.E.T. protects successfully against radiation, but does not protect against any of the peroxides tested. Conversely, doses of ascorbic acid which protect against disuccinoyl peroxide do not protect against radiation. It is concluded that in those aspects studied there is little resemblance between radiation and injected peroxide.