Abstract: Objective    To observe and analyze the changes of cardiac morphology and biochemical indexes in naked mole rats after 60Coγ-ray radiation, and to preliminarily study the characteristics of 60Coγ-ray radiation tolerance in naked mole rats heart. Methods   The naked mole rats were generally radiated by the single 10 Gy 60Coγ-ray, and then their hearts were collected after 7 days and 14 days respectively. After paraffin section and hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining, the microstructure of naked mole rat heart was observed under an optical microscope, and the pathological analysis was carried out. The malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) contents in heart tissues were detected by biochemical test kit. Results    Microscopic examination showed that there was no obvious atrophy, edema, necrosis and fibrosis in the heart tissues of naked mole rats after irradiation. According to the biochemical test, the content of MDA in heart tissues increased significantly after irradiation (P<0.01), and the T-AOC, GSH and GSSG contents decreased significantly with time (all P<0.05). Conclusion    The heart of naked mole rats can tolerate 60Coγ-ray to some extent, but the specific mechanism of tolerance is not clear.

Key words: Naked mole rat, Heart, 60Coγ-rays, Radiation tolerance