DYNAMICS OF THE CHANGE IN THE AMOUNT OF INJECTED GAMMA GLOBULIN IN RABBIT BLOOD SERUM IN RADIATION SICKNESS

In the absence of information in the literature on the use of gamma globulin in radiation sickness, experiments were carried out on injected, irradiated animals. Into 22 rabbits totally irradiated with 800 r (LD/sub 30,30/ ), gamma globulin was injected intramuscularly in doses of 100 or 50 mg/kg 5 min before irradiation and of 25 mg/kg injected 3 days before irradiation and 3 to 5 days afterwards. Blood samples were taken at intervals and tested by the formalin agglutination test. Homologous gamma globulin did not undergo any appreciable charges in the irradiated organism. Probably because of the colloidal nature of the solution, the gamma globulin entered the blood slowly from the place of injection, reaching a maximum only after 2 to 7 days. The maximum was reached on the seventh day in the animals injected approximately simultaneously with irradiation or 3 to 5 days after. In those injected 3 days before irradiation the level was falling on the seventh day. The gradual decrease lasted more than 30 days for a dose of 25 mg/kg and more than 60 days for 50 and 100 mg/kg. In electrophoretic studies the serums of irradiated rabbits were shown to contain a relatively high alphamore » globulin and somewhat lower albumin than normal, but there was no regular decrease in the gamma globulin or increase in beta. Injection of gamma did not markedly change the serum protein fractions separated electrophoretically on paper. (TTT)« less