Which tissue is the most radiosensitive?

Which tissue is the most radiosensitive?

• A. Blood-forming tissue
• B. Cerebrovascular tissue
• C. Muscle tissue
• D. Nervous tissue

Answer: (A)

Radiosensitivity tracks how actively cells divide and mature. Tissues with many immature, rapidly dividing cells are most vulnerable to ionizing radiation. Blood-forming tissue fits this pattern because hematopoietic cells in bone marrow constantly proliferate to replace blood cells; when irradiated, these cells are easily damaged, leading to impaired blood cell production. That makes blood-forming tissue the most radiosensitive among the options. Muscle tissue consists of relatively mature, slowly dividing cells, and nervous tissue has highly specialized, largely non-dividing neurons, so both are more resistant to radiation. Brain tissue can incur damage at high doses, but its inherent sensitivity is lower than that of blood-forming tissue. Cerebrovascular tissue (brain) shares this relatively resistant profile.

Radiosensitivity tracks how actively cells divide and mature. Tissues with many immature, rapidly dividing cells are most vulnerable to ionizing radiation. Blood-forming tissue fits this pattern because hematopoietic cells in bone marrow constantly proliferate to replace blood cells; when irradiated, these cells are easily damaged, leading to impaired blood cell production. That makes blood-forming tissue the most radiosensitive among the options.

Muscle tissue consists of relatively mature, slowly dividing cells, and nervous tissue has highly specialized, largely non-dividing neurons, so both are more resistant to radiation. Brain tissue can incur damage at high doses, but its inherent sensitivity is lower than that of blood-forming tissue. Cerebrovascular tissue (brain) shares this relatively resistant profile.