Prevention and Treatment of the Gastric Symptoms of Radiation Sickness

摘要

The new antiemetic and gastrokinetic agent zacopride was tested in rhesus monkeys to assess its behavioral toxicity and its ability to inhibit radiation-induced emesis. Zacopride (intragastric, 0.3 mg/kg) or a placebo was given blindly and randomly in the basal state and 15 min before a whole-body 800 cG Co 60 gamma radiation dose (except for the legs which were partially protected to permit survival of some bone marrow). We determined 1) gastric emptying rates; 2) the presence and frequency of retching and vomiting; and 3) the effect of zacopride on the performance of a visual discrimination task in nonirradiated subjects. When given after the first vomiting episode in a separate group of irradiated monkeys, zacopride completely prevented any subsequent vomiting. The present results demonstrate that intragastric administration of zacopride significantly inhibited radiation-induced retching, vomiting, and suppression of gastric emptying in rhesus monkeys and did not cause detectable behavioral side effects when given to nonradiated monkeys. Reprints. (edc)