title: Glutamine protects Chinese hamster ovary cells from radiation killing.
abstract: Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells were propagated in vitro and exposed to varying doses of ionizing radiation. The surviving fraction of cells was determined, being found to be a function of the radiation dose. The cell survival curves obtained as a function of radiation dose were modified by the inclusion of varying doses of glutamine in the medium with glutamine demonstrating a radioprotective effect. The radioprotectant effect of glutamine for CHO cells was more pronounced at higher radiation doses. Glutamine has been categorized as a non-essential amino acid in that it can be synthesized in some tissues; however, a number of cell lines require glutamine to survive and grow in vitro and supplementation of glutamine has been found to ameliorate the stress of surgery or irradiation to the gastrointestinal tract. It may be appropriate to consider glutamine as a conditionally essential amino acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla 65401.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Winters
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ercal
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krishnan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D006224:Cricetinae; D003470:Culture Media; D004064:Digestive System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D005973:Glutamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007700:Kinetics; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D005973:Glutamine