Quantitative radiation effects in hemoproteins and their constituents.

In order to verify the "radiation protection" effect of prosthetic groups in irradiated conjugated proteins and the influence of their electronic structure on intramolecular excitation transfer, two series of substances were examined. The first was composed of ferrihemoglobin and its constituents and the second was composed of similar hemoproteins with heme groups with major differences in electronic structure. The results point to a strong radiation protection effect of the heme groups and a dependence of radical yield of hemoproteins on the electronic structure of the heme. A possible interpretation of this latter effect is discussed.