We examined sequential changes in post-irradiated peripheral blood T cells taken from normal volunteers, using a microscopy-video system, mitochondrial membrane potential assay, annexin V, propidium iodide, and cytochrome c ELISA kit. After 5 Gy irradiation with 10 MV X-ray from a linear accelerator, the percentages of apoptotic T cells were estimated as approximately 5, 10, 20, 35, and 70%, at 0, 3, 6, 10, and 20 h after irradiation, respectively, as observed with the microscopy-video system. Using a CCD camera-equipped fluorescence microscope and MitoCapture, a mitochondrial membrane potential indicator, approximately half of the T cells showed dysfunction of mitochondrial membrane potential at 10 h after 5 Gy irradiation. With regard to annexin V and propidium iodide, approximately 40 and 5% of the human peripheral T cells showed positivity against annexin V and propidium iodide at that time, respectively. Mitochondrial cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytosol was confirmed to start at 10 h and to reach a maximum at 20 h after 5 Gy of irradiation. These results demonstrated that mitochondrial cytochrome c release occurred following dysfunction of mitochondrial membrane potential in radiation-induced T cell apoptosis.

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