Purpose: Validation of the pig as an experimental animal model for dose ass
essment after ionizing irradiation.
Materials and methods: The evolution of haematological and biochemical para
meters was followed for up to 7 days after irradiation in pigs exposed to w
hole-body Co-60 gamma-radiation at doses between 0 and 6 Gy.
Results. Some biochemical indicators showed significant variations: amylase
, LDH, alkaline and acid phosphatases, ALT and iron. None of the studied pa
rameters alone presents a reliable dose-effect relationship; however, there
was evidence that the combination of lymphocyte and neutrophil counts and
the determination of LDH, ALT, AST and urea levels allowed some dose determ
ination, independent of time, if blood samples were taken within 7 days pos
t-irradiation.
Conclusion: The results confirm the main problems of biochemical dosimetry.
However, the pig model could represent a useful alternative to the non-hum
an primate in radiobiology research, especially in the case of partial-body
exposure. A multiparametric approach to dose assessment seems to be possib
le in the pig model. Confirmation should be carried out using blood samples
from patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment.