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Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the effects of whole body ionizing radiation at a sublethal dose on rat brain homogenate membranes and the protective effects of amifostine on these systems at molecular level.
Materials and methods: Sprague-Dawley rats, in the absence and presence of amifostine, were whole-body irradiated at a single dose of 8 Gy and decapitated after 24 h. The brain homogenate membranes of these rats were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
Results: Ionizing radiation caused a significant increase in the lipid to protein ratio and significant decreases in the ratios of olefinic = CH/lipid, CH2/lipid, carbonyl ester/lipid and CH3/lipid suggesting, respectively, a more excessive decrease in the protein content and the degradation of lipids as a result of lipid peroxidation. In addition, radiation changed the secondary structure of proteins and the status of packing of membrane lipid head groups. Furthermore, it caused a decrease in lipid order and an increase in membrane fluidity. The administration of amifostine before ionizing radiation inhibited all the radiation-induced alterations in brain homogenate membranes.
Conclusions: The results revealed that whole body ionizing radiation at a sublethal dose causes significant alterations in the structure, composition and dynamics of brain homogenate membranes and amifostine has a protective effect on these membranes.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are response for the content and writing of the paper.
Funding
This work was supported by The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), SBAG-2939, and by the Middle East Technical University (METU) Research Fund, BAP-2006-07-02-0001.