Types and Rate of Cataract Development in Mice Irradiated at Different Ages

• Published in: Radiation research Vol. 71; no. 2; pp. 471 - 480
• Main Authors: Gajewski, A. K., Majewska, K., Słowikowska, M. G., Chomiczewski, K., Kulig, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Academic Press, Inc 01-08-1977
• Subjects: Age groups; Aging; Animals; Cataract - etiology; Cataracts; Confidence limits; Control groups; Developmental biology; Epithelium; Irradiation; Lens, Crystalline - radiation effects; Mice; Mice, Inbred A; Opacity; Radiation tolerance; Space life sciences; Statistical median; X-Rays
• ISSN: 0033-7587; 1938-5404
• DOI: 10.2307/3574688

The effect of age on the development of radiation cataract has been investigated in an inbred A strain of mice and, as a result, the patterns of age dependence and senile mice cataract development were obtained. In general, the lenses of mice 1-3 days old were the most sensitive to radiation; the maximum resistance was noted in 5-day-old mice, and from this age up to 3-7 weeks of life there was a period of increasing sensitivity. In older animals the lens sensitivity tends to level off. The early stages of cataract occurred in all irradiated groups at a younger age than in the control group, but the late stages occurred in irradiated groups at the same age as the senile cataract occurred in the control group. Two types of cataract were observed. One was typical for young irradiated mice 1 to 5 days of age and the other was typical for all remaining irradiated groups and for a control group. Also, an attempt was made to correlate the obtained results with the cell kinetics in normal lens epithelium.