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Human Reproduction Update Advance Access originally published online on January 16, 2009
Human Reproduction Update 2009 15(3):359-377; doi:10.1093/humupd/dmn063
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The current knowledge on radiosensitivity of ovarian follicle development stages

I. Adriaens1,2, J. Smitz1 and P. Jacquet2,3

1 Follicle Biology Laboratory, Free University of Brussels (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Jette, Belgium 2 Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium

3 Correspondence address. Tel: +32-14-33-27-28; Fax: +32-14-31-47-93; E-mail: iadriaen{at}gmail.com or imadriae{at}vub.ac.be (I.A.); pjacquet{at}sckcen.be (P.J.)

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to review the available information on ovarian radiation sensitivity and the genetic hazard of ionizing radiation in female mammals including humans.

METHODS: The literature present in the author's laboratories (international papers from the 1970s) was complemented by a Medline literature search using the keywords ‘ionizing radiation genetic effects’, ‘oocyte radiosensitivity’ and ‘oocyte DNA repair’ (1990–2008). Further articles were acquired from citations in the research papers and reports.

RESULTS: Animal data show that oocyte radiosensitivity varies widely according to the follicle/oocyte stage and the species. Oocytes near ovulation show the highest susceptibility to radiation induction of mutational events. Congenital anomalies have been observed after exposure to high doses (1–5 Gy), but extrapolation of these data to humans requires caution. In humans, the dose required to induce permanent ovarian failure would vary from 20.3 Gy at birth to 14.3 Gy at 30 years. Most epidemiological studies found little evidence of genetic diseases at the doses at which medical, occupational or accidental exposure occurred.

CONCLUSIONS: The fact that genetic effects were observed in irradiated animals suggests that these could also occur in humans. The probability of such events remains low compared with the ‘spontaneous’ risks of genetic effects.

Key words: oocytes / fertility / genetic effects / ionizing radiation / radiosensitivity

Received on May 29, 2008; revised December 8, 2008; accepted on December 10, 2008


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