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Haemopoietic cell renewal in radiation fields
T M Fliedner1, W Nothdurft, B Tibken
1Department of Clinical Physiology, Occupational and Social Medicine, University of Ulm (Donau), Germany.
Advances in Space Research : the Official Journal of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
|October 1, 1994
Summary
Astronauts face chronic radiation exposure, potentially impacting blood cell renewal. Monitoring stem cells and modifying their radiation sensitivity are crucial for long-term space health.
Area of Science:
- Space medicine
- Radiation biology
- Hematology
Background:
- Space missions involve chronic exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Solar Particle Events (SPE) pose a risk of high-dose radiation exposure.
- Assessing hematopoietic cell renewal is vital for astronaut health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the functional status of hematopoietic cell renewal in astronauts.
- To understand the effects of chronic low-level radiation on blood cell counts and stem cells.
- To develop strategies for mitigating radiation-induced hematopoietic effects.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of chronic low-level gamma-exposure effects on dog blood cell concentrations.
- Simulation of hematopoietic cell renewal using bioengineering models of granulopoiesis.
- Identification of a "turbulence region" for cell loss rates indicating tolerance limits.
Main Results:
- Daily gamma-exposure doses below 2 cGy were tolerated by dogs for years regarding blood cell counts.
- The stem cell pool can be severely affected despite maintained blood cell counts.
- Hematopoietic cell renewal compensates for radiation-induced cell loss through increased production.
Conclusions:
- New biological indicators, including blood stem cells and cytokine concentrations, are recommended for monitoring.
- Research into modifying hematopoietic stem cell radiation sensitivity is advised.
- Establishing a protected autologous blood stem cell bank for space activities is proposed.