Radioprotective Properties of Neomitilan in Experimental Radiation Pneumonia.

The efficiency of neomitilan, a polysaccharide isolated from Crenomytilus grayanus mussels, was studied in experimental model of radiation pneumonia (irradiation of the animal lungs with a total dose of 14 and 28 Gy). Histological study showed that an increase in the number of nucleated components in the lungs of animals subjected to neomitilan inhalation prior to irradiation. Proliferation of bronchial epitheliocytes and the formation of additional lymphoid structures were also revealed in these animals. The absence of a tendency to lung tissue recovery in animals irradiated with 28 Gy is due to extreme radiation toxicity.