title: Radioprotection with cytokines--learning from nature to cope with radiation damage.
abstract: The quest for methods to protect cells from the damaging effects of ionizing radiation led to the observation that cytokines, endogenously produced hormone-like polypeptides, are radioprotective. Interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, given before irradiation, can protect mice from doses of radiation that would be fatal to untreated animals. At lower doses of radiation, the hemopoietic growth factors, interleukin-1, interleukin-4, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon, and leukemia inhibitory factor can promote recovery when administered after irradiation. Exposure to ionizing radiation selectively induces expression of some cytokines. Recent work suggests that certain cytokines may initiate autocrine/paracrine regulated recovery and repair pathways. Thus, the radioprotective and therapeutic effects of supplementary pharmacological doses of cytokines may act by amplifying innate defenses to ionizing radiation.
authors.affiliation: Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neta
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Oppenheim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011836:Radiation Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha