Effects of sublethal doses of gamma rays on the accumulation of zinc in mice fed the higher concentration diets

This paper reports preliminary studies on the mechanism of the mortality reduction effects in sublethally irradiated mice by administration of zinc at the high concentration. At first, accumulations of 65Zn in non-irradiated mice, which were orally administered with the artificial diet containing the radio-tracer and the stable metal at the high concentration (1,000 ppm), were investigated, and compared with those in mice which were administered with the artificial basal diet containing the tracer (control). Then the irradiation effects of 60Co gamma-ray at the sublethal dose on the accumulation were studied. The concentrations of zinc in whole body, tissues and organs of non-irradiated mice which were administered with the former diet were 2-fold higher than in the mice which were administered with the latter diet (control). But the accumulation of the tracer was affected by the irradiation, i.e. the concentrations in tissues and organs (except for blood and bone) of irradiated mice were lower than those in non-irradiated mice. However, the concentration in spleen of irradiated mice was remarkably higher than in the other tissues.