Overexposure of rats to radiation from infrared lamp: Effects on blood parameters

Background: Previous reports showed that infrared radiation (IR) involved in photoaging, photocarcinogenesis, free radicals' production, and depletion of bone marrow cells. Beneficial effects of moderate exposure to infrared lamp have been itemized to include enhancement of blood circulation, relief from muscular pain, and wound healing acceleration with scarce information on biological effects when it is overexposed. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the possibility of its overexposure on biological system, especially blood parameters. Aim: This study was aimed to determine the biological effects of overexposure to radiation from infrared lamp on blood parameters. Materials and Methods: Infrared lamp of 100 W acts as a source of the IR. Twenty male healthy Wistar rats of the age range between 10 and 12 weeks and weigh between 100 and 250 g were studied. All the animals studied also acts as a control group with their blood samples taken and recorded as initial counting values. The animals were later divided into three groups: A, B, and C according to their hours of exposure according to their weight. Animals in Groups A, B, and C were exposed to IR for 1, 3, and 5 h, respectively. Blood samples of each animal in the group were taken 24, 48, and 96 h after exposure. The total number of erythrocytes, leukocytes, lymphocyte, and neutrophils were counted and compared with the initial samples. Results: The results revealed that packed cell volume, white blood cell, and lymphocytes of all the exposed animals averagely decreased by 17.4%, 17.5%, and 11.3%, respectively, whereas neutrophil increased by 19.0% after exposure to infrared. Conclusion: This study established that overexposure to radiation from infrared lamp affects hematological parameters.