Stimulatory effect of intermittent feeding on hemopoietic recovery in sublethally gamma-irradiated mice.

The effect of three-week adaptation to intermittent feeding on the recovery of the hemopoietic functions of mice after sublethal gamma irradiation was investigated. Measurement of oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide output and the respiratory quotient demonstrated an increased metabolic rate in the intermittently fed animals and an accentuation of lipogenic processes. This metabolic state persisted even after irradiation. An improvement in the recovery of hemopoietic functions after irradiation was demonstrated in adapted animals, which was reflected by the increased proliferative activity of the hemopoietic cell populations (more intensive incorporation of 125I-UdR into the DNA of cells of the spleen, thymus and femoral bone marrow), by more rapid renewal of spleen weight, more rapid recovery of the femoral bone marrow cellularity and increased levels of granulocytes in peripheral blood.