Effects of Acute and Chronic Irradiation on the Blood-Forming System

Abstract

Chapter 1 is devoted to the development and thorough study of the biologically motivated mathematical models, which describe the dynamics of the major hematopoietic lineages (the thrombopoietic, lymphopoietic, erythropoietic, and granulopoietic systems) in nonirradiated and acutely/chronically irradiated mammals (rats, mice). The models are implemented as the systems of nonlinear differential equations. Their variables and constant parameters have real biological meaning that provides successful identification and verification of the models on hand. It is revealed that the developed models are capable of reproducing the homeostasis states of the major hematopoietic lineages in healthy specimens, as well as the cyclic dynamics of these systems, which is observed in some animals. It is demonstrated that the models are capable of predicting, on qualitative and quantitative levels, the dynamics of the major hematopoietic lineages in mammals (rats, mice) exposed to acute and chronic irradiation in wide ranges of doses and dose rates. The developed models are capable of reproducing the radiosensitivity modifications of the major hematopoietic lineages, which are induced by low-level single/chronic preirradiation and manifested after the subsequent challenge exposure. The conditions, which allow the models to reproduce radioprotection or radiosensitization effects of preirradiation on the major hematopoietic lineages, are found.