Strain differences in the radiation response of the rat heart

Recent reports on radiation-induced heart disease in Wistar rats by ourselves and in Sprague-Dawley rats by Yeung and Hopewell [ 1 Lauk S. Kiszel Z. Buschmann J. Trott K.-R. Radiation-induced heart disease in rats. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 1985; 11: 801-808 Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (121) Google Scholar ] indicate significant differences in response. Irradiation of Sprague-Dawley rats under exactly the same conditions as, those for Wistar rats has shown that there is a strain dependence for latency and clinical course of the induced heart disease, but that its incidence changes similarly with dose in the two strains.