THE EFFECT OF THIOLA, PIROXICAM AND DILTIAZEM ON THE UTERINE CONTRACTILITY OF GAMMA-IRRADIATED RATS

Accidental radiation exposure raises concern for functional modificati ons in the uterine physiology. In the current work, total body gamma-i rradiation (0.7, 1.4 and 2.1 Gy) of non-pregnant adult female albino r ats increased significantly the frequency and amplitude of uterine con tractions in vivo. Administration of Thiola (a sulfhydryl containing a gent) in doses of 100 or 250 mg kg(-1), pre-irradiation, or Piroxicam (a potent prostaglandin inhibitor) in a dose of 2 mg kg(-1), pre- or p ost-irradiation failed to normalize the changes induced by gamma-irrad iation. However, administration of Diltiazem (a Ca2+ channel blocker, 8 mg kg(-1)) pre- or postirradiation caused a significant decrease in the frequency of uterine contractions (21% and 24% respectively) in co mparison to the uterotonic pattern of gamma-irradiation alone. The res ults indicate a promising tocolytic activity of Diltiazem against the uterotonic effect of gamma-radiation. (C) 1996 The Italian Pharmacolog ical Society.