The biological response of spermidine induced by ionization radiation

Abstract

Globally, there are concerns over the risks associated with radiation exposure, so it is important to understand the biological effects of radiation exposure. Driven by the need to detect the presence of radiation exposure, biomarkers to monitor potential exposure after radiological accidents can be developed and would be extremely valuable for biological response. In this study, the behavior of spermidine as a biomarker was investigated in a C57BL/6 mouse model exposed to an acute whole-body sublethal dose of 6 Gy. The spermidine content values in serum increased for up to two days after 6 Gy irradiation. However, the enhanced spermidine content observed on day +3 in irradiated mice returned to normal levels on the subsequent five days. The result indicates that spermidine can be used as a biomarker of biological response to radiation exposure. © 2012 by the authors.