The Effect of Post-irradiation Treatments on the Development of Skin Damage in the Mouse Tail

SummaryThe effect of various local treatments on the rate of onset of damage after a standard dose of 8 mev electrons to the mouse tail has been investigated. The tail was compressed and a 2·5 cm portion exposed to 9000 rads, a dose which produces a clearly-marked scale of damage, ending in the loss of the tail distal to the irradiated section. The effect of the post-irradiation treatments used on the mitotic activity of non-irradiated skin was measured by their action on the basal epidermal cells of the ear. Substances which stimulated mitosis, such as formalin and Teepol, hastened the rate of appearance of radiation damage. Keeping mice at 4°c which lowers the skin temperature of their extremities, delayed the rate of onset of damage, but the pattern of damage, once started, was the same whatever the treatment. It is concluded that alterations in mitotic rate induced topically after local irradiation can alter the rate of onset of radiation damage.