Radiation Effects on Cell

Morphological changes induced by radiation on cells patognomónicamente and qualitatively similar to the effects caused by other agents such as nitrogen mustard, Myleran, etc. Influenced cytoplasm and nucleus, the initial response is in the form of cellular swelling, cytoplasmic vacuolation, growth and mitochondrial distortion and deformation , disorganization, swelling and fragmentation of the endoplasmic reticulum. However, lysosomes are relatively resistant to radiation and sometimes increase their numbers. With radiation, the core swells, becomes vacuolated, and severely attacked cells undergo pyknosis or karyorrhexis. In cells undergoing radiation, no disruption of the nuclear membrane and the plasma.


In cells undergoing division, warned various chromosomal damage, including loss, damage, transiocaciones, interadherencia and fragmentation. Figure mitosis becomes irregular, even chaotic. It is indisputable that there should be more subtle mutations at the level of individual genes. Factors underlying cell damage genetic tools are deadly action, oncogenic and mutagenic radiation energy. It should be noted, incidentally, that the changes observed in the cytoplasm of cells undergoing mitosis nuclear and radiation make intimate resemblance keep cancer cells, a problem that is often abused when tissue irradiated pathologist evaluated the possible persistence of tumor cells.


Many of the effects of radiation on normal and tumor tissue injury mediated by vessels and connective tissue. In the period immediately after radiation, the blood vessels may show only dilatation, which explains the erythema of the skin which is usually observed after radiotherapy. Then (or more intense exposure), endothelial cells undergo swelling, vacuolation, even collapse. Finally, the ship, badly damaged, and may experience progressive deterioration of thrombosis or fibrosis with decreased size. Adjacent connective tissue also becomes increasingly sclerotic. Thus, parenchymal cells lack the proper nutrition and experienced atrophy and die. Changes in stromal and parenchymal atrophy along very similar to that observed in aging.