The laboratory of endocrinology and biochemistry investigates mechanisms of action of small doses of the ionizing radiation and also an electromagnetic radiation of range of mobile communication on a regulation of metabolic processes and the functional condition of the major systems of an organism depending on a condition of an endocrine system and also carries out the analysis of the next and remote consequences of influence of a radiation and ecological situation of an exclusion zone of the CNPP on posterity. Special attention is paid to development of methods of increase in a radioresistance of an organism by means of substances of natural origin, vitamins, substrates, antioxidants and also tools and ways of detoxicating of an organism by means of enterosorbents.
• Studies endocrinology, biochemical and biophysical aspects of homeostasis in the animal body under the exposure to technogenic radiation and xenobiotics,
• evaluates body adaptation potential and develops methods for its enhancement,
• studies the mechanisms and effects of low dose exposures to ionizing radiation, electromagnetic radiation of industrial frequencies and radio-frequency bandwidth on metabolic processes and body systems functioning,
• analyzes short- and long-term effects of electromagnetic exposures coming from communications devices on progeny,
• searches for the methods of raising the body’s radioresistance by means and with the help of a variety of natural materials, vitamins, substrates, antioxidants and detoxification adsorptive agents such as enterosorbents.
History
Created in 2003 by uniting four laboratories of Biochemistry, Physiology, Endocrinology, Morphology and Cytogenetics that had been functioning before IRB permanently moved from Minsk to Gomel.
The laboratory’s founder and its head during its first five years of functioning was Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Honoured Scientist of the Republic of Belarus, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences Evgenij F. Konoplya. From 1.12.2009 to 15.07.2015, it was headed by Doctor of Biological Sciences, associate professor Alexander D. Naumov. In 2004–2015, the lab’s deputy head was lead researcher Gennadii G. Vereshchako, Candidate of Biological Sciences.
Basic scientific directions of laboratory
- Consequences of radiation of parents, prenatal and post-natal radiation on a state reproductive and other systems of an organism of rats males and females in the remote period.
- Regulation of a cardiovascular system in the conditions of radiation and action of a stress and assessment of a role of nitrogen oxide in these processes for the purpose of development of ways of increase in stability of the blood circulatory system.
- Influence of an electromagnetic radiation of range of mobile communication (900-1800 MHz) on a condition of the most sensing systems of an organism and metabolic processes at influence at preadolescent age.
- Development of new effective antiactinic remedies on the basis of biologically active materials. Creation of new prophylactics on the basis of mineral and vegetable raw materials of natural origin.
Staff
GOROKH Grigorii, head of laboratory
CHUESHOVA Natalia, researcher
KOZLOV Alexander, researcher
ROPOT Alexandra, junior researcher
SHUBENOK Elena, junior researcher
SHCHEMELEV Vladislav, junior researcher
Present time
Our current research efforts are focused on the following areas:
• long-term effects of exposure of parents, prenatal and postnatal exposure on reproductive and other body systems of male and female rats;
• the effects of electromagnetic radiation of 900, 1 800 and 2 450 MHz on the body systems and metabolic processes of animals in immature age;
• combined impact from electromagnetic radiation and xenobiotics on the body systems;
• novel effective anti-radiation drugs based on biologically active substances with the use of raw materials of natural origin.
In our studies, we established that the 1st generation offspring from irradiated female rats show certain disorders in essential body systems, considered as long-term effects caused by hereditary material being modified in oocytes. The main effects identified in the offspring from exposed females would be 1) an increase in the number of apoptotic lymphocytes, 2) increase in the functional activity of bone marrow cells, 3) intensification of thyroid metabolism, 4) decrease in the mass of the testes, 5) inhibition of spermatogenesis, 6) increase in the number of elongated spermatids, and 7) deterioration in the properties of epididymal spermatozoids. The findings represent considerable scientific and practical value in terms of assessing the likelihood of significant negative consequences in the offspring from an exposed parent.
We have established that exposure under stress causes a higher cardiac muscle contractility and lusitropy, as well as an activation of extracardiac regulation of the heart rhythm being typical to stress responses. Animals subjected to immobilization reveal a significant increase in the content of (NO) metabolites (nitrates/nitrites), and 0.5 Gy-exposed animals subjected to subsequent immobilization stress have a reduced number of leukocytes and increased number of platelets.
Long-term electromagnetic exposure of animals from a mobile phone (900 MHz), in puberty age onwards, has a significant effect on male reproductive organs, spermatogenesis and its regulation, which is expressed in the disproportioned quantitative composition of various types of germ cells, drop of a testosterone level in blood serum, decreased production of epididymal sperm and its deterioration, which all have negative effects on fertilization. The number of the first-generation offspring from irradiated parents is reduced by more than 25 %. Their sexual development accelerates, the quantitative composition of sperm cells becomes extensively imbalanced, spermiogenesis production increases, and sperm viability is significantly reduced. The findings are evident of disorders occurred in the reproductive system of animals in a postnatal development stage under continuous exposure to radiation from a mobile phone.
Previously, the lab was studying radioprotective properties of biologically active substances of natural origin, including stump fungi (mushroom) extracts, sodium succinate, biotin, antioxidant complex of vitamins with β-carotene, selenmethionine with methionine, exogenous DNA and others. As a result, a dietary supplement containing organic iodine was developed – Dopinat – used in bakery and dairy food production, e.g. iodized protein-enriched yogurts and mayonnaises. Following technical instructions developed by researchers of the lab (for which corresponding hygiene certificates were issued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus), approximately 9 000 tons of various dairy products enriched with iodine casein was produced by dozens of dairy enterprises throughout the country. Mogilev Gelatine Factory has set up an experimental floor for the production of Dopinat dietary supplement with an annual capacity of 20 tons.
Within the framework of the State Programme on Overcoming the Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster, the lab has been involved in a number of researches in the exclusion Chernobyl zone of Polesye State Radiation-Ecological reserve, producing numerous important results. Such, for instance, were that the offspring of continuously radiation-exposed animals in the Chernobyl exclusion zone show characteristic alterations in the state of pregnancy (shifted time of birth etc.), have differences in the number and sex ratio, spermatogenesis process, etc. Another findings were an increase in the frequency of aberrations in chromosomes of peripheral blood lymphocytes, alterations in lipid exchange, hormone content, energy supply processes were found to become restructured, etc. Under the impact of different radioecological factors, male rats of a number of generations (F0-F1-F2-F3-F4-F5) born over consecutive years in the exclusion zone, have significant disorders in the reproductive function regulation. The parent animals (F0) and their subsequent generations in these conditions show the state of stress.
Our lab is equipped with the state-of-the-art lab instruments, including Cytomics FC 500 Flow Cytometer (Beckman Coulter, USA), Enzyme Immunoassay Analyzer Тесаn, Agilent 1100 Liquid Chromatograph (Agilent Technologies, USA), Celltac MEK-63-18 J/K Hematology Analyzer (Japan), spectrophotometers, centrifuges, scales, microscopes etc. The effects of mobile communications and industrial frequencies on animals are studied with the help of a special electromagnetic irradiation unit.
Current projects
• Study the combined effects of anthropogenic factors of radiation and non-radiation origin on the reproduction and other sensitive systems of the body and elaborate the ways of improving its radioresistance (State Scientific Research Programme “Environment and Natural Resources”, Sub-Programme “Radiation and Natural Systems”);
• Study the remote effects of continuous electromagnetic exposures in a mobile communications range (1 800 GHz) and in the range of a WiFi device (2.45 GHz) (State Scientific Research Programme “Environment and Natural Resources”);
• Assess biological efficiency of antioxidants and other active biological substances towards the enhancement of protective properties of the body under exposures (State Scientific Research Programme “Environment and Natural Resources”).
Inventions & Patents
1. Radioprotective Means. Vereshchako G.G., Khodosovskaya A.M., Soldatov V.S., Kuvaeva Z.I., Knizhnikov V.А., Pilchenko N.V. Patent no. 16556. Application no. а20101403 of 30 April 2012.
2. Dietary Supplement and a Method of the Production Thereof. Morozova А.А., Konoplya E.F., Ananieva N.V. Patent no. 15492, Republic of Belarus.
3. Composition and a Method of the Production of a Dietary Supplement. Morozova А.А., Naumov A.D., Ananieva N.V. Patent no. 17766, Republic of Belarus.
4. Dietary Supplement and a Method of the Production Thereof. Morozova А.А., Naumov A.D., Timokhina N.I., Ananieva N.V. Patent no. 17826, Republic of Belarus.
5. Balneological Means and a Method of their Production. Morozova А.А., Garanovich I.M., Naumov A.D., Timokhina N.I., Ananieva N.V. Patent no. 15715, Republic of Belarus.
6. Balneological Means and a Method of the Production Thereof. Morozova А.А., Naumov A.D., Titok V.V., Kukhareva L.V., Stavrovskaya L.A., Ananieva N.V. Patent no. 17961, Republic of Belarus.
Publications
1. Konoplya E.F., Vereshchako G.G., Khodosovskaya A.M. Enciklopedicheskij slovar radiobiologii (Encyclopedic Dictionary of Radiobiology, in Russian). – Research Institute of Radiology, 2005.
2. Morozova A.A., Konoplya E.F. Sredstva i sposoby zashchity organizma ot povrezhdayushchih faktorov vneshnej sredy (The ways and means of protecting the body of the damaging factors of the external environment, in Russian). – Minsk, Belaruskaya Navuka, 2010.3.
3. Vereshchako G.G. Vliyanie elektromagnitnogo izlucheniya mobil’nyh telefonov na sostoyanie muzhskoj reproduktivnoj sistemy i potomstva (The effects of electromagnetic irradiation from mobile phones on the male reproductive system and progeny, in Russian). – Minsk, Belaruskaya Navuka, 2015.
4. Konoplya E.F., Vereshchako G.G., Gorohetal G.A. The effect of chronic radiation exposure of ChNNP exclusion zone on the morphofunctional state and reactivity of organs and tissues of laboratory animals // The lessons of Chernobyl. 25 years later. Elena B. Burlakova, Valeria I. Naydich / Ch. XIV. Nuclear materials and disaster research. Nova science publishers, Inc., New York, 2012. – P 173–186.
5. Naumov A.D., Tsimokhina N.I., Litvinchuk A.V., Vereshchako G.G., Khodosovskaya A.M. Sushko S.N., Kadukova E.M. Radioprotective properties of selenomethionine with methionine and extracts from Basidium fungi // NATO Advanced Research Workshop “Advanced Bioactive Compounds Countering the Effects of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Agents” Yalta, Crimea, Ukraine. May 15-17, 2012 / Springer Science + Buisiness Media Dordrecht 2013. Ch. 5. – P. 55–69.
6. Vereshchako G.G., Khodosovskaya A.M., Konoplya E.F. Biokhimicheskie izmeneniia v semennikakh mlekopitaiushchikh pri deistvii ioniziruiushchikh izluchenii (Biochemical changes in testis of mammals exposed to ionizing radiation, in Russian) // Usp. sovr. boil., 1998. – Т. 118. – Issue 5. – P. 630–644.
7. Vereshchako G.G., Khodosovskaya A.M., Konoplya E.F. Protivoluchevaia zashchita muzhskoi reproduktivnoi sistemy: sostoianie voprosa i problemy, voznikshie posle avarii na Chernobylskoi AES (The problem of radiation protection of male reproductive system following the Chernobyl NPP disaster, in Russian) // Usp. sovr. boil., 2011. – Т. 131. – No. 1. – P. 16–29.
8. Vereshchako G.G., Chueshova N.V., Gorokh G.A., Naumov A.D. Sostoianie reproduktivnoi sistemy krys-samtsov 1-go pokoleniia, poluchennykh ot obluchennykh roditelei i podvergnutykh vozdeistviiu EMI (897 MGts) v period embriogeneza i postnatalnogo razvitiia (Reproductive system of first-generation male offspring of irradiated parents following their exposure to EMR (897 MHz) during embryogenesis and postnatal development, in Russian) // Rad. biol. Radioecology. – 2014. – Т. 54, No. 2. – P. 186–192.
Contacts
E-mail: biochemistry@irb.basnet.by