Possibility of a change in the parameters of plutonium-238 metabolism in the body

The influence of macro amounts of iron on 238Pu metabolism in the animal body has been studied. The data obtained indicate that 238Pu metabolism parameters change under the effect of iron. The efficiency of the agent used is demonstrated by a diminished deposition of the radionuclide in bone tissues and an increased (by 2.65 times as compared with the control) excretion of plutonium 238 in faeces.     

Determination of the plutonium-239 content of the body

In order to increase the informativeness of the indirect dosimetric estimates of plutonium-239 body levels complex makers are widely used to enhance natural excretion of the radionuclide in urine, the ratio between 239Pu levels in urine and skeleton being measured. However, as the onset of chelate application is postponed its efficacy, with respect to the skeleton, sharply decreases making it impossible to obtain reliable information concerning plutonium 239 levels in bone tissues at later times.     

The applicability of the concept of morpho-physiologic metabolic factors to the modification of the distribution of 239Pu deposited in the respiratory organs

At the stage of intensive resorption of plutonium from lungs to blood the competitive per os administration of an iron preparation increased plutonium excretion from blood. As a result, soft tissues were enriched with plutonium at an early stage of metabolism. However, at the end of the experiment (30 days) the radionuclide content of soft tissues dropped to control values. Simultaneously, the share of plutonium deposited in bone tissue decreased considerably and that of the radionuclide eliminated from the body increased throughout the entire period of observation.     

Efficacy of polymeric 239Pu removal by liposome-encapsulated pentacin

Liposome-incapsulated pentacine (DTPA) removes intracellular polimeric 239Pu and colloidal hydroxide of polymeric 239Pu from a rat body in the amounts 2- and 4 times, respectively, exceeding those eliminated by free DTPA. However the amount of 239Pu removed decreases sharply with increasing 239Pu hydrolysation and polymerization. It is concluded that the effectiveness of 239Pu removal depends on the physico-chemical status of the radionuclide and its interaction with the biosubstrate rather than on the amount of DTPA entering the cells.     

The subcellular distribution of 238Pu and 239Pu in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes

The subcellular distribution of 238Pu and 239Pu after incubation of primary cultures of rat hepatocytes with the citrate complex of these metals was studied, and the results were compared with data from in vivo experiments. As in vivo, the lysosomes are the principal organelles in which 238Pu and 239Pu are accumulated. In contrast to in vivo studies, 239Pu is also detectable on the pericellular membranes and in the cell nuclei, where it is predominantly bound to a high-molecular-weight component. The percentage of the total cellular 239Pu which can be recovered in the cell nuclei increased with incubation time from 10% at 1 h to nearly 30% at 5 h. Plutonium-238, an isotope with 270-fold higher specific activity than 239Pu, showed no association with the nuclei. The membrane-bound fraction of 239Pu, as determined using the exogenous chelator diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid decreased from 30% at shorter incubation times to 15% at longer incubation periods. After incubation with 238Pu the membrane fraction and the cytosolic fraction contained higher concentrations of the radionuclide than after incubation with 239Pu.     

Metabolic disposition of [14C] metanil yellow in rats

The absorption, metabolism and excretion of [14C] metanil yellow was studied in rats. Following administration of a single oral dose of 5 mg dye (7.6 microCi)/kg body weight, 80.5% of the dose was excreted in the urine and faeces within 96 hr, with the majority being accounted for in the faeces. Liver, kidney, spleen and testis retained no count whereas 13.6% of the radioactivity was retained by gastrointestinal tract. Analysis of urine and faeces detected two azo-reduction metabolites of metanil yellow which were characterized by TLC and IR, NMR and mass spectroscopic studies as metanilic acid and p-aminodiphenylamine.     

The effect of iron on the excretion by rats of intratracheally administered plutonium-239

A study was made of the effect of ferric citrate on excretion of intratracheally administered plutonium-239. The preparation used permitted to increase the radionuclide excretion via the gastrointestinal tract by 1.8 times as compared to the control. The positive effect of the iron preparation was maximally displayed between days 4 and 11 following administration: the value of the increase was 2.2.     

90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239+240Pu,and 241Am radionuclides in macrophytes within the Krasnensky flood plain: species specificity of concentration and distribution in phytocenosis components

The analysis of the content of radionuclides 90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239 + 240Pu and 241Am in water vegetation of flood plain reservoirs has allowed studing features of radionuclide accumulation by various species of macrophytes and revealing bioindicators of radionuclide contamination. Thus species-specificity of radionuclide accumulation can essentially change the contribution of different species to a percentage ratio of the radionuclide content in phytomass of reservoirs in comparison with fund of higher aquatic plants.     

Behavior of plutonium in the body of rats following its intragastric administration in a complex with tributyl phosphate

A study was made of the distribution of plutonium-239 within the rat body after single intragastric administration thereof (1.85 MBq) in a mixture with tributyl phosphate (TBP) and as Pu(IV) nitrate at a time interval from 4 min to 512 days. It was shown that the distribution of the radionuclide was virtually the same but its absorption from the gastrointestinal tract with Pu-TBP was higher by one order of magnitude and exceeded the value recommended by ICRP for soluble plutonium compounds.     

Absorbed doses and hematological shifts in dogs inhaling submicron 239Pu dioxide

In dogs breathing submicron 239Pu dioxide, the absorbed doses were determined in 12 organs and tissues where the radionuclide was deposited; the integral doses to a whole body were also determined by the sum of the exposed organs. The relationship of the hematologic changes not only with the doses for "critical" tissues but also with the integral dose was studied.     

Removal of Pu and am from beagles and mice by 3,4,3-LICAM(C) or 3,4,3-LICAM(S)

Decorporation of Pu and Am by tetrameric catechoylamide (CAM) ligands has been investigated in beagles and mice. Eight dogs were injected intravenously (iv) with 237 + 239Pu(IV) + 241Am(III) citrate, and 30 min later, pairs of dogs were injected iv with 30 mumole/kg of 3,4,3-LICAM(C) [N1,N5,N10,N14-tetrakis(2,3-dihydroxy-5-sulfobenzoyl)tetr aazatetradecane, tetrasodium salt], 3,4,3-LICAM(S) [N1,N5,N10,N14-tetrakis(2,3-dihydroxy-4-carboxybenzoyl)te traazatetradecane, tetrasodium salt], CaNa3-DTPA, or each of the latter two ligands. Blood was sampled, and excreta were collected for 7 days, at which time the dogs were sacrificed and nuclide retention in liver and nonliver tissue was measured. Groups of five mice were each given 238Pu(IV) or 241Am(III) citrate iv; 3 min later 30 mumole/kg of a CAM ligand was injected intraperitoneally, mice were killed at 24 hr, and separated excreta and tissues were analyzed. In the dogs, average retention at 7 days of the injected Pu and Am, respectively, was as follows: 12 and 70% after treatment with a CAM ligand alone; 30 and 20% after DTPA; 12 and 20% after LICAM(S) plus DTPA; 90 and 89% without a ligand. In the mice, mean retention of the injected Pu and Am, respectively, was as follows: 14 and 66% after treatment with LICAM(C); 21 and 54% after LICAM(S); 91 and 87% without a ligand. In both species, about 99% of net Pu excretion (excretion with ligand - excretion without ligand) promoted in 24 hr by DTPA or LICAM(S) was in the urine, whereas about 10% of net Pu excretion promoted by the less hydrophilic LICAM(C) was in feces. Delayed excretion of both Am and Pu was significant in all ligand-treated dogs. Comparison of the nuclide content of tissues of ligand-treated mice with those of mice killed 3 min after nuclide injection indicated that the CAM ligands chelated circulating Pu and Am and prevented further deposition. In addition, the CAM ligands removed much of the presumably loosely bound Pu present in liver and skeleton at the time of ligand injection. LICAM(C) was more effective in removing Pu from liver and LICAM(S) was more effective in the skeleton. Moderate to severe uremia and histological evidence of cell killing in the distal tubules of the kidney were observed in the four dogs injected once with 30 mumole/kg of LICAM(S).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

The cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells exposed to the joint and separate actions on the body of 239Pu, hexachlorobutadiene and tributyl phosphate

Wistar rats were subjected to a single exposure to 239Pu nitrate through inhalation with the subsequent procedure of imitation of inhalation or without it (the amount of 239Pu deposited in the lungs in 24 hr was 8.9 +/- 1.9 kBq/lung) and inhalation of hexachlorobutadiene and tributyl phosphate within one month in a combination with the radionuclide or without it. There was a 1.5-fold increase, above additive, in the harmful effect of 239Pu and chemical agents on the function of natural killers as observed 15--30 days after the combined exposure as compared to individual inhalation. On days 120 to 240 cell cytotoxic activity in rats of all groups was normalized to reach or to exceed the intact control.     

Distribution of plutonium in the body of rats after its intratracheal administration in the form of a Pu(IV)-TBP complex

Tributyl phosphate intratracheally administered to rat body with a Pu(IV)-TBP complex does not increase the accumulation of plutonium in the skeleton and liver. Plutonium is excreted from the lungs more readily than Pu(IV) nitrate and its large amounts are resorbed in the blood early after the administration; its excretion in feces is approximately 100 times more intense than in urine.     

The distribution of the radionuclides in the main components of lake ecosystems within the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone

The results of the studies devoted to the distribution of radionuclides 90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239 + 240Pu and 241Am in 1998-2003 in main components of Glubokoe Lake and Dalekoe-1 Lake located within Krasnensky flood lands of the Pripyat River (inner exclusion zone of the Chernobyl NPP) were analysed. The data about the radionuclide content in bottom sediments, in water, in seston, in macrozoobenthos (including bivalvia molluscs), in gasteropods molluscs, in higher aquatic plants and in fish are presented.     

Benzoic acid conjugation in tuatara

The excretion and metabolism of orally administered [¹⁴C]-labelled benzoic acid (100 mg/kg) was examined in the reptile Sphenedon punctatus (tuatara). The major excreted metabolite was chromatographically and electrophoretically identical with ornithuric acid. Conjugation with glycine or glucuronic acid was not detected. 7–21 percent of the dose was recovered from the urine and faeces, the bulk of the excreted radioactivity being eliminated in the first seven days. Free benzoic acid and conjugates were excreted in the first week but only conjugates could be detected in fauces collected at later intervals. These results are discussed in relation to the taxonomic position of tuatara.     

Disturbances in catecholamine metabolism during formation and development of chronic alcoholism]

There has been carried out an investigation dealing with catecholamines metabolism in the patients suffering from alcoholism in the first, second and third stage at the short-term remission. The first developed alcoholism stage was determined as a typical one for increasing the excretion with urine of DOPA, dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A), as well as the blood levels of DA, NA and A. DA/NA rate evidences about an increased synthesis of NA with DA. The marked second alcoholism stage is characterized by an acute decrease of excreting with urine and blood levels of NA. Alongside with the latter. DA excretion with urine and its blood levels remained high. DA/NA rate indicates to the considerably low relative activity of NA with DA synthesis, both in relation to the control and to the developed first alcoholism stage. In the third alcoholism stage NA excretion with urine and its blood levels become lower relatively to the marked second stage. Simultaneously DA excretion with urine and its blood levels are lower than in the developed second stage, hower exceed the control values. DA/NA rate testifies the slight activation of NA and DA synthesis. The results obtained in the work indicate to the significant role of CA metabolism disturbances in the alcoholic dependence formation.     

冷驯化对中缅树鼩能量代谢的影响

在5 ±1 ℃条件下对中缅树鼠句进行冷驯化处理, 测定其能量代谢。冷驯化28 d 后, 体重比对照组显著增加7.33 %; 整体能值达到30.47 ±0.46 kJ / g (N = 8) , 比对照组增加4.98 %; 摄入能比对照组增加36.17 %; 同化能比对照组增加66.2 %; 生长能达到6.98 ±0.53 kJ / 100 g (N = 7) 体重·天, 是对照组的4.85 倍; 维持能比对照组增加64.0 % , 达到352.96 ±28.34 kJ / 100 g 体重·天(N = 7) 。以上结果表明中缅树鼠句在冷胁迫影响下, 以增加能量摄入、能量储存和维持能和降低排泄能量的生理机制来维持能量代谢平衡, 以此对策来提高低温环境适应能力。
     

The antibody-producing cell count of rats exposed to polymeric 239Pu

In experiments with Wistar rats a study was made of the content of antibody-forming cells (AFC) in the spleen at remote times (3 to 12 months) after intravenous injection of 239Pu(IV) in doses of 166, 55, and 18 kBq/kg body mass. The doses absorbed in the central and peripheral immunity organs were defined. Pronounced spleen hypoplasia and profound inhibition of humoral immunity were displayed 1 year after the injection of a small amount of the radionuclide. AFC deficiency in animals was amounted to 11-32 per cent throughout the entire period of observation.     

Frequency of structural chromosome aberrations in the hepatocytes of rats exposed to polymeric 239Pu

Intravenous injection of polymeric 239Pu(IV) nitrate (166.5, 55.5 and 18.5 kBq/kg body mass) to Wistar rats was shown to produce biphase changes in the frequency of hepatocyte chromosome aberrations. The increase in the structural damages to chromosomes at later times of observation was a pronounced function of radiation dose. The absence of such a dependence at early times was evidently due to the elimination of damaged liver parenchyma cells.     

The metabolism of niacytin in the rat. Trigonelline as a major metabolite of niacytin in the urine

1. To investigate the fate of orally administered niacytin, urine and faeces of rats given single niacytin doses were examined for nicotinic acid derivatives methylated on the pyridine nitrogen atom, determined as trigonelline. 2. Methods were devised for the extraction of trigonelline from urine and faeces and for its differentiation from N'-methylnicotinamide. 3. A prolonged elevation of the excretion of trigonelline in the urine of rats dosed with niacytin was detected colorimetrically, in contrast with the urinary excretion in control groups given free nicotinic acid or hydrolysed niacytin. The total conversion of the nicotinoyl moiety of niacytin into trigonelline was 30-40%. 4. The identity of this metabolite as trigonelline was established by t.l.c., by its u.v. spectrum and by g.l.c. after conversion into methyl nicotinate. 5. The excretion of Ehrlich-positive substances was also increased in urine after administration of niacytin, the increase being approximately parallel to the trigonelline excretion. 6. No increase in the excretion of trigonelline in faeces was found after administration of niacytin. 7. These results suggest a metabolic path-way for niacytin in the rat involving methylation of the pyridine nitrogen without prior release of free nicotinic acid. This hypothesis explains the absence of biological activity of niacytin. An endogenous source of urinary trigonelline was also demonstrated.