PERSPECTIVES OF CHITOSAN APPLICATION AS A RADIOPROTECTOR

Abstract

Acute toxicity of chitosan samples was determined by the value of 50% lethal dose (LD50) in experiments on white nonlinear mice aged 2-2.5 months weighing 18-22 g, from which groups of 10 animals were formed. Chitosan preparations were administered once intraperitoneal in a volume of 0.5 cm³ (solution in acetic acid). For control animals, an aqueous solution of acetic acid with a pH of 5.8 was used. The animals were observed after injections of the tested drugs for two weeks.  We took into account the appearance and behavior, the state of the coat and visible mucous membranes, the attitude to feed, mobility, volume and frequency of breathing, the timing of the death of animals or their recovery. The radioprotective properties of chitosan against ionizing radiation were investigated. The preventive and therapeutic effect of low-molecular chitosan in intraperitoneal administration at doses of 200 mg / kg live weight in experiments on male mice weighing 20-25 g, subjected to gamma irradiation at doses up to 800 BER (BER - man roentgen equivalent) on the installation "Gamma-panorama" (radiation source Cs137, duration 58.5 min.). It was shown that mice of the experimental group I, which were administered chitosan three days before irradiation, remained alive during the entire observation period (30 days.). Animals II, III and IV of the experimental group was injected with 3, 9 and 22 days after irradiation, the survival rate to the end of the experiment they accounted for 86, 43 and 29%, respectively, with 100% mortality in the control (irradiated animals without the use of chitosan) and intact animals in the control II (non-irradiated animals).