title: Radioprotective activities of beer administration for radiation-induced acute toxicity in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We previously found that drinking beer reduces chromosome aberrations in blood lymphocytes that were collected and irradiated in vitro. In this study, we investigated the radioprotective activities of beer-administration for bone marrow and intestine in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  C3H/He female mice received an oral administration of beer, ethanol or saline at a dose of 1 ml/mouse 30 min before whole body irradiation with 137Cs gamma rays or LET 50 keV/microm carbon ions. Radioprotective activities were estimated using a LD(50/30) (The dose required to kill 50% of the mice within 30 days) and a microcolony technique for intestine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The LD(50/30) for the beer-administered mice was significantly increased in comparison with saline administered mice. The LD(50/30) of gamma-ray was 7.8 Gy (p < 0.05), 7.6 Gy and 7.3 Gy for beer-, ethanol- and saline-administered group, respectively. The LD(50/30) of carbon ions was 6.6 Gy (p < 0.05), 6.2 Gy and 5.9 Gy for the beer-, ethanol- and saline-administered groups, respectively. The crypt survivals that were semi-logarithmically plotted against dose were well fitted to a linear regression line. The dose reduction factor (DRF) (D10) of beer- and ethanol-administered mice for gamma rays was 1.09 and 1.08, respectively. The DRF (D10) of beer- and ethanol-administered mice for carbon ions was 1.08 and 1.07, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The radioprotection by beer-administration is due to not only OH radical-scavenge action by the ethanol contained in beer.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Science Technology, Chiba University, Japan.
authors.forename: Manami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monobe
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uzawa
authors.forename: Mizuho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukawa
authors.forename: Yoshiya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Furusawa
authors.forename: Koich
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ando
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001515:Beer; D002244:Carbon; D005260:Female; D005720:Gamma Rays; D020450:Heavy Ions / Q000009:adverse effects; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D002244:Carbon