The goal of this work was to study Heptral effects on glutathione oxidation-reduction system in rat thymus and spleen under the action of chronic γ-irradiation in a total dose of 1 Gy, due to enhancing effect of mutagenic factors on the organism. Male Wistar rats were subjected to chronic γ-irradiation at a total dose of 1 Gy. After completing of exposure the first group of rats received physiological saline intraperitoneally, and the second received Heptral based on 10 mg per 1 kg rate. After completing of injections animals were tested at 24 hrs, 3.7 and 15 days term. Spleen and thymus homogenates were tested to determine the concentration of reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase rate. Chronic γ-irradiation at a total dose of 1 Gy leads to inhibition of the functional activity of glutathione section in organism antioxidant system. Heptral injections course given to exposed rats resulted in a positive effect even after 24 hrs. Reduced glutathione concentrations in spleen increased by 30%, and in thymus — by 37% in comparison to animals that received no treatment. On the 15th day the concenration of reduced glutathione in thymus and spleen increased by 54% in comparison with the control, while the activity of the glutathione enzymes was significantly higher than that of the control. Thus, Heptral injections course leads to normalization of the glutathione redox system functioning in exposed animals. Heptral can be used in multimodal therapy of low-intensity radiation damage at low doses.
