Analysis of Plasma Protein Concentrations and Enzyme Activities in Cattle within the Ex-Evacuation Zone of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Accident

• Published in: PloS one 2016-05, Vol.11 (5), p.e0155069-e0155069
• Main Authors: Urushihara, Yusuke, Kawasumi, Koh, Endo, Satoru, Tanaka, Kenichi, Hirakawa, Yasuko, Hayashi, Gohei, Sekine, Tsutomu, Kino, Yasushi, Kuwahara, Yoshikazu, Suzuki, Masatoshi, Fukumoto, Motoi, Yamashiro, Hideaki, Abe, Yasuyuki, Fukuda, Tomokazu, Shinoda, Hisashi, Isogai, Emiko, Arai, Toshiro, Fukumoto, Manabu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents; Aging; Alanine; Alanine transaminase; Analysis; Animals; Antioxidants; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Blood Proteins - metabolism; Cancer; Cattle; Cesium isotopes; Cesium radioisotopes; Chronic exposure; Chronic illnesses; Civilian evacuation; Dehydrogenases; Drug dosages; Earthquakes; Electric power plants; Engineering schools; Enzymatic activity; Enzymes; Evacuation; Fukushima Nuclear Accident; Gamma rays; Germanium; Glutathione; Glutathione peroxidase; Influence; Ionizing radiation; Japan; L-Lactate dehydrogenase; Lactate dehydrogenase; Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes; Lactic acid; Life sciences; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Livestock; Malondialdehyde; Medicine and Health Sciences; Muscles; Nuclear accidents; Nuclear accidents & safety; Nuclear electric power generation; Nuclear energy; Nuclear power plants; Organs; Oxidative stress; Peroxidase; Physical Sciences; Plasma levels; Radiation; Radiation Dosage; Radioactivity; Radioisotopes; Radiology; Rodents; Skeletal muscle; Spectrometry; Superoxide dismutase; Transaminase; Veterinary colleges; Veterinary medicine
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155069

The effect of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident on humans and the environment is a global concern. We performed biochemical analyses of plasma from 49 Japanese Black cattle that were euthanized in the ex-evacuation zone set within a 20-km radius of FNPP. Among radionuclides attributable to the FNPP accident, germanium gamma-ray spectrometry detected photopeaks only from 134Cs and 137Cs (radiocesium) commonly in the organs and in soil examined. Radioactivity concentration of radiocesium was the highest in skeletal muscles. Assuming that the animal body was composed of only skeletal muscles, the median of internal dose rate from radiocesium was 12.5 μGy/day (ranging from 1.6 to 33.9 μGy/day). The median of external dose rate calculating from the place the cattle were caught was 18.8 μGy/day (6.0-133.4 μGy/day). The median of internal and external (total) dose rate of the individual cattle was 26.9 μGy/day (9.1-155.1 μGy/day). Plasma levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase activity were positively and glutathione peroxidase activity was negatively correlated with internal dose rate. Plasma alanine transaminase activity and percent activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-2, LDH-3 and LDH-4 were positively and LDH-1 was negatively correlated with both internal and total dose rate. These suggest that chronic exposure to low-dose rate of ionizing radiation induces slight stress resulting in modified plasma protein and enzyme levels.