Post-irradiation Diethyldithiocarbamate-inhibition of CuZn Superoxide Dismutase Reduces Clonogenic Survival of Chinese Hamster V-79 Cells

Abstract

The survival of Chinese hamster [lung] cells was reduced when they were temporarily treated with diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC), an efficient inhibitor of CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD), before radiation exposure. The dose-modifying factor amounted to about 1.3, and was the same for irradiation under hypoxic and aerobic conditions. Treatment of the cells with DDTC in the early post-irradiation hours was, however, equally effective. Evidently, inhibition of CuZn SOD does not enhance the immediate radiation damage, but increases damage in the 1st h of the post-irradiation period, possibly through mechanisms interfering with potential lethal damage.