Objective: To investigate the modifying effect of treatment with vitamins C on irradiated mice tissues with gamma ray.
Methods: The animal experimental study was conducted in the Iraqi Centre for Cancer Research and Medical Genetics (ICCMG), Unit of Medical Physics department of Physiology college of Medicine/ Al_Mustansiryah Baghdad, Iraq from December 2019 to April 2020 Comprised adult male Albino Bulb /c mice aged 8 weeks. They were randomly divided into 4 equal groups. Group 1, the controls, received standard saline solution untreated and were not exposed to radiation. Group 2 mice received dose of vitamin C 200mg/kg/day intra-peritoneally injected without radiation. Group 3 was exposed to gamma ray without treatment with vitamin C. Group 4 mice were administrated vitamin C 200mg/kg/day intraperitoneally and exposed to the gamma ray. Groups 3 and 4 received 4 Gy of gamma rays for eight consecutive days. All groups were sacrificed by cervical dislocation at 1, 3 and 24h. Post-radiation testes and spleen tissues were collected. Damage in vivo was measured by gamma H2AX foci as biomarker of deoxyribonucleic acid double strand breaks in testes and spleen tissues. Data was analsyed using SPSS 24.
Results: There were 28 mice with a mean bodyweight of 20±2g; 7(25%) in each of the four groups. There was significant difference (p<0.05) between group 4 and group 3 in terms of foci forming. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between the exposed and unexposed groups.
Conclusions: Vitamin C was found to be a good radio-protective agent for mice testes and spleen tissues. The main differences were clearly observed in the formation of gamma H2AX foci between testes and spleen due to their sensitivity to ionising radiation which depends on proliferation activity.
Keywords: DSBs, Vitamin C, g H2AX foci..