THE EFFECTS OF IRRADIATION ON THE MANDIBULAR BONE OF RATS ON THE LOW CALCIUM DIET

방사선조사가 저칼슘식이 백서의 하악골에 미치는 영향에 관한 실험적 연구

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of morphology and structure of bone tissue in the irradiated mandibular bone in rats which were fed a low calcium diet. In order to carry out this experimant, 64 seven-week old Sprague-Dawley strain rats weighing about 150gms were selected and equally divided into one experimental group of 32 rats and one control group with the remainder. The experimental group and the control group were then subdivided into two groups when the rats reached ten-week old, 16 were assigned rats for each subdivided group, exposed to irradiation. The two irradiation groups received a single dose of 20 Gy in the jaws area only and irradiated with a cobalt-60 teletherapy unit. The rats in the control and experimental groups were serially terminated by fours on the 3rd, the 7th, the 14th, and the 21st day after irradiation. Following termination, both sides of the dead rats mandibular bodies were removed and fixed with 10% neutral formalin. One side of the mandibular body was radiographed with a soft X-ray apparatus. Thereafter, the obtained microradiographs were observed by a light microscope. The remaining side of the mandibular bone was further decalcified and embedded in paraffin as using the general method. The specimen sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and Rabit Anti-Human Tumor Necrosis Factor-a, observed by a light microscope. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Microradiogram revealed that thinning of the cortex and a decrease in the trabecula of the interradicular bone and mandibular body were observed and noted from the start to finish throughout the experiment in the non-irradiated rats on the low calcium diet rather than in the non-irradiated rats on the normal diet. In microscopic observations, there were marked osteolytic changes in the center of the bone marrow. 2. Microradiogram revealed that thinning of the cortex and a decrease in the trabecula of interradicular bone and mandibular body were more marked after 7 days in the irradiated rats on the low calcium diet rather than in the non-irradiated rats on the low clacium diet. In microscopic observations, osteoblasts were decreased markedly after 7 days, and a few osteoclasts were observed. 3. Microradiogram revealed that thinning of the cortex and a decrease in trabecula of interradicular bone and the mandibular body were more marked from the strart to finish troughout the experiment in the irradiated rats on the low calcium diet rather than in the irradiated rats on the normal diet. In microscopic observations, there were no osteolytic changes noted in the irradiated rats on the normal diet. 4. In immunocytochemical findings, a few bone marrow cells including Tumor Necrosis Factor were observed in the irradiated rats on the normal diet, but was not observed in the rats on the low calcium diet.