X-Irradiation and Lipoprotein Metabolism in Various Species

¹ From the Donner Laboratory of Medical Physics, Radiation Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California

The changes in lipoprotein concentration following x-irradiation have been presented for the rabbit, dog, rat and mouse. The most striking lipoprotein changes in the four species were: a) a large increase in the concentration of the low density lipoproteins of the rabbit at 30 hours postirradiation; b) increased concentrations of the two lower density classes and decreased concentrations in the highest density class in the dog at 10–13 days postirradiation; c) elevated concentrations of the high density lipoproteins at 3 days and the low density lipoproteins at 8 days in the rat; d) a pronounced decrease in the concentrations of the high density lipoproteins of the mouse at 4 days. Hyperlipoproteinemia is associated with higher average flotation rates for the lipoprotein molecules, indicating qualitative as well as quantitative changes in the metabolism of lipids in the irradiated animal. A relatively large increase in the concentration of the low density lipoproteins precedes death from irradiation in the rabbit, rat and dog.