Initial heart rate variability and radiosensitivity in rabbits

The goal of the work was to investigate the rabbits' radiosensitivity dependence on the initial functional state of the autonomous nervous system (ANS), as assessed by time-frequency parameters of the heart rate variability (HRV). Survival rate and rhythm-cardiologic correlates of the pathological processes following total X-irradiation, at doses of 2 and 12 Gy, were studied with an aid of modern computer technologies of measurement and data analysis. It has been found that the animals with initial prevailing of adrenergic influences on the HRV ("sympathicotonics") are significantly more sensitive to irradiation than those in which the parasympathetic prevalence was evident ("vagotonics"). The most characteristic and determining difference between these two groups of animals is initial level of the sum regulatory influences on the heart rhythm, which is manifested in value of total power of spectral density (TP) of HRV. In the sympathicotonics the TP is significantly lower than in the vagotonics. The primary HRV response to irradiation practically does not differ according to the dose and manifests in sharp suppression of the TP in both groups of the animals. At 12 Gy this process is irreversible. In the sympathicotonics it develops earlier and terminates with death much sooner than in the vagotonics. An average life-span of the rabbits, at this dose, is 18.8 +/- 2.6 days in vagotonics, and 10.3 +/- 1.3 days in sympathicotonics (p < 0.02). At 2 Gy initial sharp decrease of the TP in the vagotonics lasts one week only. Then the sum regulatory influence of the ANS on the heart rate increases (rebound) and this condition, which probably points at general resistance of the organism, could be seen within two months; at the end of third month it stabilizes at the initial level. In the sympathycotonics initial sharp decrease of the TP also occurred, however no rebound was observed. The results obtained show that low initial level of the TP of HRV is sufficiently correct marker for higher radiosensitivity in the sympathotonic rabbits against the vagotonic ones.