Effects of 16,16 dimethyl prostaglandin E2 on irradiation damage of the small intestine.

The effects of oral 16,16 dimethyl prostaglandin E2 on irradiation induced damage of the small intestine was examined in the rat. Groups of Sprague-Dawley rats received graded doses of the analogue or placebo at 24, 8 and 0.5 hours before and at 16 and 24 hours following whole abdominal exposure to 10 Gy. Rats were killed 72 hours after irradiation. Pretreatment within the lower dose range had a moderate protective effect with better preserved crypts and crypts to villus ratio. Larger doses seemed to increase the intestinal damage. The prostaglandin treated sham irradiated rats had higher villous height and larger epithelial surface compared with controls.