Response of mammalian eye lenses to space radiation qualities in vitro and in organ culture

Abstract

The eye lens is known to be a radiosensitive mammalian organ, and ionizing radiation is considered to be a widely known risk factor inducing lens opacities. During space missions, astronauts are constantly exposed to galactic cosmic radiation, which contains energetic heavy ions of high linear energy transfer (LET). Due to higher dose and different patterns of cellular energy deposition from the high-LET ions, astronauts have higher risk for developing cataract compared to low-LET radiation exposure on earth. Although the exact mechanism of opacification is not known in detail, it is hypothesized that it initiates from the post-irradiation proliferative activity of genetically damaged lens epithelial cells. [...]