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Updated: May 19, 2026

Measuring DNA Damage and Repair in Mouse Splenocytes After Chronic In Vivo Exposure to Very Low Doses of Beta- and Gamma-Radiation
Published on: July 3, 2015
Prestorage gamma irradiation induces oxidative injury to red cells
Rahul Katharia1, Rajendra Chaudhary, Prashant Agarwal
1Department of Transfusion Medicine, Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, Pune, India. rk.kats@gmail.com
Background:
Gamma irradiation of blood results in the formation free radicals, which interact with lipids and proteins in the membranes of red blood cells. We have investigated oxidative injury to gamma-irradiated red cells by measuring markers of oxidative injury and its correlation with red cell membrane damage.
Methods:
Thirty red cell blood units were irradiated at 25 Gy using Gamma Irradiator (Nordion, Canada) and stored at 4°C for 28 days. Markers of oxidative injury such as MDA levels, methemoglobin formation and osmotic fragility and markers of membrane damage including supernatant Hb, supernatant K(+), and LDH were studied.
Results:
There was a progressive and statistically significant increase in markers of oxidative injury such as MDA (3.76 v/s 5.01), and methemoglobin formation (1.87 v/s 3.58) in irradiated red cells compared to control non-irradiated cells. Exposure to gamma irradiation caused significant increase in markers of hemolysis such as supernatant Hb (0.087 v/s 0.363), K(+) (35.1 v/s 51.2) and LDH (366.9 v/s 587.4) over the storage period of 28 days.
Conclusion:
Gamma irradiation increases lipid peroxidation and oxidative injury to the red cells.
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