This in vitro study evaluated the detrimental effect of acute gamma (gamma)-irradiation on rat immature hippocampal neurons. Rat immature hippocampal neurons (0.5 day in vitro) were irradiated with 0~4 Gy gamma-rays. Cytotoxicity was analyzed using a lactate dehydrogenase release assay at 24 h after gamma-irradiation. Radiation-induced cytotoxicity in immature hippocampal neurons increased in a dose-dependent manner. Pre-treatments of pro-apoptotic caspase inhibitors and anti-oxidative substances significantly blocked gamma-irradiation-induced cytotoxicity in immature hippocampal neurons. The results suggest that the caspase-dependent cytotoxicity of gamma-rays in immature hippocampal cultured neurons may be caused by oxidative stress.
Amifostine/pharmacology ; Animals ; Antioxidants/pharmacology ; Caspase 3/metabolism/radiation effects ; Catechin/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Cell Survival/radiation effects ; Cells, Cultured/cytology/enzymology/*radiation effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Female ; *Gamma Rays ; Hippocampus/cytology/enzymology/*radiation effects ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/radiation effects ; Neurons/cytology/enzymology/*radiation effects ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases/drug effects ; Pregnancy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley