Exposure of brain to high-dose, focused gamma rays irradiation produces increase in leukocytes-adhesion and pavementing in small intracerebral blood vessels.
OBJECTIVE
Radiosurgery is used to destroy a predetermined target within the brain, with minimal radiation injury to the surrounding tissue. We hereby present our in vivo model to study the effects of single-session, high-dose radiation on the cerebral vessels that are targeted with radiosurgery using the Leksell Gamma Knife.


METHODS
The study was conducted in 29 adult male WT C57BL/6J mice weighing 21 to 28 g (6-8 wk old). The animals were exposed to 100 Gy single-session focused gamma ray irradiation using the Leksell Gamma Knife, and subsequently underwent intravital microscopy at different time intervals to study leukocytes and platelets adhesion patterns to the endothelium of the irradiated cerebral micro-vessels.


RESULTS
The leukocyte adhesion response showed a bell-shaped curve upon quantitative analysis with a steady increase in the number of adherent cells during the first four hours and a subsequent plateau response that was maintained during the next 24 hours. The platelet adhesion response did not demonstrate any particular pattern similar to the leukocyte response.


CONCLUSIONS
The experiment was able to establish in vivo increased leukocyte adhesion to the cerebral vascular endothelial cells in response to radiation injury and elaborate the time frame within which the leukocyte adhesion response increases, reaches a peak and then starts decreasing.
Wood
Katherine
K
Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 71130-3932, USA.
Jawahar
Ajay
A
Smelley
Christopher
C
Mullapudi
Sivaganesh
S
DeLaune
Allyson
A
Nanda
Anil
A
Granger
D Neil
DN
D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000528:radiation effects; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D004867:Equipment Design; D005720:Gamma Rays; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000528:radiation effects; D010973:Platelet Adhesiveness / Q000528:radiation effects; D013679:Technology, Radiologic / Q000295:instrumentation; D013997:Time Factors