Recovery of the Intestinal Mucosa in the Rat after X-Irradiation of the Exteriorized Intestine

Abstract

Loops of jejunum in shielded Wistar rats were exteriorized and irradiated with a dose of 1000 r. Histological assessment of the architecture of the mucosa, the epithelial appearances and mitotic activity showed that these had returned to normal at 1 week postirradiation. Cells labeled with tritiated thymidine have revealed an epithelial cell turnover from 1 to 4 weeks after irradiation which was similar to that in the controls.