In experiments on intact mice provided by continuous access to drinking water with reduced oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) only for 30-49 days there are revealed following signs of a modification of the vital status: a slowdown in body weight gain, a decrease in behavioral activity, a decrease in the thymus and spleen mass, signs of a change in intestinal microflora composition, in comparison with the original tap water and distilled water. Reduction of ORP was achieved by distillation of water, and also by electrochemical treatment at the "Ideal" plant. In addition, water samples were used in the experiment with the addition of antioxidants: ascorbic acid and melanin, which also reduced the ORP. At X-ray irradiation in a non-lethal dose of 1.5 Gy, 24 hours after exposure to radiation, there were no statistically significant differences in the damaging effect of radiation in animals that drank water of different quality. At the same time, with an irradiation dose of 5 Gy, an acceleration in the recovery of hematological indices and behavioral activity in the use of water with reduced ORP was noted. The intake of these water samples after irradiation contributed to a statistically significant increase in the number of endogenous hematopoiesis colonies in the spleen as compared to the use of tap water.

Experiments on mice irradiated with γ-rays in a wide range of doses, from 0.5 to 400 cGy and the bone marrow have shown cytogenetic and cytological effects ranging from I cGy dose 24 hours after exposure to radiation. Dose-independent reduction of the number of nucleated cells in the bone marrow, normal or even elevated levels of mitotic activity, and extreme dependence of the type of chromosomal aberrations on the radiation dose with the maximum in the region of 7.5 cGy were observed in the dose range from 1 to 20 cGy. A linear dose-dependent decrease of the cell.number in the bone marrow, a decreased mitotic activity and increased number of aberrant mitosis were marked in the dose range from 20 to 400 cGy. The findings are discussed in terms of their application for explaining the mechanisms of hormesis, adaptive response, as well as the appropriateness of accounting the parameters studied for solving problems of regulation of permissible doses.

Outbred CD-1 mice females aged 4 to 4.5-months were investigated in 21-22 hours following total γ-irradiation at 10, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 200 mGy. Loss in bone marrow karyocytes, as well as spleen and thymus mass reductions were significant in the group of animals irradiated at 50 and 200 mGy and less dramatic in mice irradiated at 75 mGy. The orientative-trying behavior reaction (OTBR) in the open field tested in 19-20 hours after exposure to 10 and 25 mGy was reliably stronger than in the group of biological control; however, emotional status (ES) in the animals that received 10 mGy dropped significantly. Mice irradiated at 50 mGy were found to weaken the grip of their front limbs. Dose levels differing in opposite radiobiological effects on the parameters under study were established. Doses in the range from 10 to 25 mGy maximized OTBR and ES, while doses of 50, 100 and 200 mGy produced high reactions of the immune and hemopoietic organs.

The results of studying the mitotic activities and chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells from C57/BL6N mice with the help of the anaphase technique in 12 hours after completion of the 30-day "Bion-M1" mission and ground-based experiment using flight equipment are presented. A statistically reliable decline of the mitotic activity (0.74%) was found in cells taken from the space flown animals. In the ground-based experiment, a statistically reliable downward trend in proliferative activity (1.37%) was revealed after the comparison with groups of vivarium control (1.46-1.53%). In both experiments mice increased the number of initial mitotic phases (prophase + metaphase) relative to the sum of anaphases and telophases. The number of aberrant mitoses grew reliably in the group of flight animals by 29.7%, whereas in the ground-based experiment an upward trend was insignificant as their number increased up to 2.3% only. In the vivarium controls aberrant mitoses constituted 1.75-1.8%. An increase in chromosomal aberrations was largely due to such abnormalities as fragments. These findings seem to have been a result of summation of the effects of radiation and other stressful factors in space flight.

Aim: to examine the effect of individual and group housing of mice on radioresistance. Material and methods. Effects of individual and group housing of mice on immunity and blood systems were studied on ICR (CD-1) and C57BI6 male mice before and after proton irradiation. Results. Group housing of intact animals resulted in a decline in the number of nucleated cells in the femur bone marrow and thymus mass. The irradiation with proton with energy of 171 MeV at a dose of 1 Gy causes a statistically significant greater reduction of the number of nucleated cells in the femur bone marrow in group-housed mice. A trend toward greater safety of the number of leukocytes in the peripheral blood and higher proliferative activity of bone marrow cells, as well as lower level of aberrant mitoses have been noted in individually-housed mice. Reduction processes in the recovery period of radiation sickness take place at a greater rate in group-housed mice. Conclusion. Group housing of male mice causes increased sensitivity of the blood and immunity systems to the effects of radiation and at the same time accelerates processes of radiation recovery.

The influence of light water with the reduced content of heavy stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen (deuterium) on the cytogenetic status of irradiated animals was investigated. In mice, hybrids of the first generation (CBA x C57B1) F1, the increase in the output (two-fold at the dose of 2 Gy) of aberrant mitoses in the cells of bone marrow and the decrease in the duration of the mitotic index of the first cellular cycle occurred under the influence of the two week maintenance before the irradiation on light water with ppm 35 obtained by the method of rectification as compared with the irradiated animals that were kept on the distilled water. It has been discovered that 24 h after irradiation the number of leukocytes in the group which consumed light water is lower than that in the animals that were contained on the distilled water. Moreover, the cellularity of the bone marrow in the group which consumed light water was higher than that in the animals that were contained on distilled water. The prolonged application of light water before irradiation (for 14 days) led to an increase in the sensitivity of the chromosomal apparatus of mice to γ-irradiation against the background of an increase in the mitotic activity of cells.

Aim: to examine the therapeutic efficiency of melanin administered to mice after irradiation at lethal and sublethal doses. Material and methods: Survival and hematological states were studied on CD-1 mice receiving on acute or fractionated whole-body doses on X-rays or gamma-irradiation. Melanin soluble was given with water ad libitum from the first to the 30th-day after irradiation. Results. It was shown that melanin produced a significant therapeutic and protective-therapeutic action against acute radiation injury in the dose range 6,5-7,5 Gy (LD80-LD under our conditions). Cumulative survival melanin treated mice was increased to 14,4%, in control group — 1,9%. After fractionated injury (1 Gy daily, total dose 10 Gy) all mice which consumed melanin remained alive, versus 43,7% in control. Melanin decreased radiation-induced damage and stimulated the hematopoiesis recovery after sublethal exposure (5Gy). Conclusion. The results permit to regard melanin as a therapeutic agent for treatment of radiation injuries.

Aim: to examine the therapeutic efficiency of melanin administered to mice after irradiation at lethal and sublethal doses. Material and methods: Survival and hematological states were studied on CD-1 mice receiving on acute or fractionated whole-body doses on X-rays or gamma-irradiation. Melanin soluble was given with water ad libitum from the first to the 30th-day after irradiation. Results. It was shown that melanin produced a significant therapeutic and protective-therapeutic action against acute radiation injury in the dose range 6,5-7,5 Gy (LD80-LD under our conditions). Cumulative survival melanin treated mice was increased to 14,4%, in control group — 1,9%. After fractionated injury (1 Gy daily, total dose 10 Gy) all mice which consumed melanin remained alive, versus 43,7% in control. Melanin decreased radiation-induced damage and stimulated the hematopoiesis recovery after sublethal exposure (5Gy). Conclusion. The results permit to regard melanin as a therapeutic agent for treatment of radiation injuries.