Tritium toxicity in postnatally developing brain: effects of single administration on nucleic acids and protein.

The brains of postnatally developing mice were studied at one, two, three, four, five and six weeks of age after injecting one day old neonates (1.95 +/- 0.35 g) with 11.1 kBq and 111 kBq/ml of body water. The HTO-exposed developing animals though do not show any significant decline in their brain and body weight, their DNA concentration was found significantly depleted at one week by 19% after the treatment with 111 kBq dose and subsequently recovered by six week reaching 93% of the control. Protein concentration showed significant deficit in both the dose groups at all the postnatal intervals. Protein/DNA ratio increased in one and two weeks old mice and reduced from four weeks onward. RNA/DNA ratio has also been found consistently low in irradiated groups.