[Growth kinetics and functional morphology of M-1 sarcoma in rats before and after gamma-irradiation]

The study was concerned with growth of sarcoma M-1 and basic morphological characteristics of proliferative activity of cells of this strain as well as apoptosis of cells at different stages of tumor progression in rats before and after a single gamma irradiation at 30 Gy. At the parenchymal periphery which determines tumor growth, the PCNA index of proliferating cells was 76.5%; spontaneous cell death--0.28%. During post-irradiation period, the sarcoma PCNA index fell to 62.3% while the apoptotic index rose five-fold. These findings support the concept of radiation-induced apoptosis being a major pathogenetic factor responsible for effectiveness of radiotherapy of tumors. Indirect evidence on PCNA immunostaining suggested that synthesis of this cyclin is sensitive to the level of oxygen input in the cell, yet it offers sufficient resistance to gamma-radiation.