Abstract
CYSTEAMINE has been shown by Bacq et al.1 to be a most effective substance for the protection of living matter against X- and related radiations. In vitro experiments have shown that cysteamine can protect macromolecules by a variety of different chemical reactions2,3: by transfer of energy in the case of direct action4,5, by competitive removal of OH· radicals in dilute aqueous solution6 or by a repair mechanism2,7. In the last reaction it is visualized that the initial radical formed in the macromolecule (RH)—either by direct or indirect action—is restored to its original state by hydrogen transfer from the SH group, thus: 
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References
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ORMEROD, M., ALEXANDER, P. Repair of Radiation Damage in a Nucleoprotein by Cysteamine. Nature 193, 290–291 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1038/193290b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/193290b0
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