Radioprotective action of glycerol and cysteamine on inactivation and mutagenesis in Salmonella tester strains after gamma- and heavy ion irradiation.

Inactivation and mutagenesis were studied in Salmonella tester strains after gamma-irradiation and after heavy ion irradiation in the presence of glycerol and cysteamine. Ions from deuteron to carbon with residual energies of 2-9 MeV/n were used. Cell sensitivity slightly increased with LET before decreasing. In the presence of glycerol the maximum was shifted to higher values of LET. The radioprotective effect of glycerol for cell killing diminished gradually with increasing LET from 2.0 for gamma-radiation to 1.1 for carbon ions. Mutagenic effectiveness increased slightly for deuterium and helium ions. The protective effect of glycerol decreased with LET but could still be detected for helium ions. The radioprotective effect of cysteamine on mutagenesis was found to be very small in the case of gamma-radiation for the three strains examined.