Radiation Protection of Mouse Liver by 2-Mercaptopropionylglycine

The present study is an attempt to investigate the protection imparted by MPG (2-mercaptopropionylglycine) to liver in Swiss albino mice against damages caused by external irradiation. The histopathological changes in the liver of a group of mice exposed to 1000R of Co-60 gamma rays 15-30 minutes after an intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg body weight of MPG were studied at different post-irradiation intervals. The results were compared with those received from a control group which was irradiated in the absence of the drug. The MPG was found to provide ample protection to the liver leading to an accelerated recovery and restoring the normal structure by 4 weeks after irradiation. The effect of radiations on the liver is not very clear. The reports of Kolodny, Bollinger and Inglis, indicate that severe parenchymal changes are produced in liver of animals following various doses of radiations. However, other eminent workers failed to observe any visible pathological damage to the hepatic tissue following moderate or large doses of radiations. Dettmer et al. have noted that the condition of hepatocytes at the time of irradiation is a determining factor for the subsequent damage. Grad and Stevens and Mehta et al. have reported cytoplasmic degranulation, pyknosis, necrosis, and loss of architecture as a result of irradiation.