Irradiation Is an Early Determinant of Endothelial Injury During Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2008.08.062
• Publication Date: 2008-10-28T08:14:26Z
• Authors: L. Zeng; Z. Yan; L. Wang; B. Du; X. Pan; K. Xu
• Keywords: CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; 0301 basic medicine; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Platelet Aggregation; T-Lymphocytes; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Endothelial Cells; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; 3. Good health; Intestines; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Liver; Animals; Blood Vessels; Female; Radiation Injuries; Skin

We investigated the degree and the time course of endothelial injury in mice pretreated with lethal or reduced-intensity irradiation administered before transplantation.Six- to eight-week-old female mice were randomly allocated into three groups: lethal-intensity irradiation (8.5 Gy, group 1), reduced-intensity irradiation (5.0 Gy, group 2), or nonirradiated controls (group 3). After conditioning, circulating endothelial cells (CD31+, CD133(-), and CD45low) and peripheral blood CD4+ or CD8+ T-lymphocyte subpopulations were enumerated using flow cytometry at various times. The morphologic changes in endothelium were examined at phase-contrast light microscopy.Circulating endothelial cells showed an earlier and higher peak in the lethal irradiation group compared with the reduced-intensity irradiation group, which exhibited a protean elevation in cell numbers. There were no visible histopathologic changes during the early stage of endothelial damage.Lethal and reduced doses of irradiation induced endothelial injury in a dose-dependent manner. Endothelial damage may occur before graft-vs-host disease and its related complications.