Spectroscopic Studies of in Vitro Exposure to Low-Dose Gamma Rays from 137Cs Radioactivity on Some Human Blood Components (Plasma and Red Blood Cells)

Abstract This current study was to determine the effects of in vitro exposure to radioactive cesium-137 on some human blood components (Plasma and red blood cells). Blood samples were given a radiation dose of 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mGy of gamma rays using a 137Cs radioactive standard source. The blood samples that were exposed to 0 mGy served as sham-controls. The spectrofluoroscopic technique was used to determine the autofluorescence spectrum of protein in plasma or red blood cells by using excitation wavelength and range of emission wavelengths at 280 nm and 300-550 nm, respectively. The spectrophotometric technique was used to determine the release of hemoglobin from the red blood cells to the supernatant. This data indicated no change in the ratio of fluorescence emission intensity at 340 nm of wavelength of protein extract from irradiated whole blood or red blood cells compared to the corresponding non-irradiated control. The results did not change in the absorption intensity at 415 nm of wavelength of hemoglobin leakage from in vitro irradiated red blood cells when compared to the corresponding non-irradiated red blood cells. These current results suggested that there were no harmful effects of the low-dose gamma rays from radioactive 137Cs on some blood components when human whole blood was exposed to gamma rays in an in vitro condition.