31
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Mechanisms of Protection of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Irradiation

Pages 27-32 | Received 29 Jun 1993, Published online: 01 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Current therapies for the treatment of malignancies are associated with significant limitations to the hematopoietic system since chemotherapy and radiation therapy do not discriminate between normal and malignant cells. Since bone marrow depression occurs at low to midlethal doses of irradiation, approaches to improving the therapeutic index of treatment must include measures to enhance the sensitivity of the tumor relative to normal hematopoietic tissue or, by reducing toxicity to normal hematopoietic tissues leaving tumor resistance unchanged. Radioprotective agents have been proposed to unravel the fundamental processes by which radiation itself damages hematopoietic tissue. In radiotherapy, the importance of these agents is derived from their potential use as selective protectors against radiation damage to normal hematopoietic tissue such that higher doses of radiation can be delivered to tumors to achieve a therapeutic advantage. A variety of agents have been and are being evaluated as possible protectants. These include aminothiols, synthetic polysaccharides, vitamins and cytokines. This review attempts to summarize the role both chemical and biological response modifiers play as hematopoietic radioprotectors. In addition, possible mechanisms of protection of he matopoietic stem cells from irradiation are discussed.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.