Radiosensitivity of the developing haemopoietic system in mammals and its adult consequences: animal studies

The haemopoietic system in the developing mammal is very sensitive to the damaging effects of ionizing radiation. Epidemiological studies have established a strong association between obstetric exposure to diagnostic radiation and an increase in the incidence of childhood leukaemia and between low dose gamma irradiation during the early fetal period and mental retardation in children. It has been suggested that insufficient oxygen supply to the developing brain due to radiation induced damage to fetal haemopoietic tissue has a role in inducing the severe mental retardation observed in the Japanese children exposed to atom bomb radiation in utero. Experimental studies have shown that X- and gamma irradiation of pregnant mice with <1 Gy during the late organogenesis or fetal period caused chromosome damage and significant depletion in the fetal haemopoietic progenitor cells and led to haematological disorders in the adults. The present paper reviews the experimental findings on the effect of pre-natal irradiation on the fetal haemopoietic system and its long-term consequences.