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.     

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.     

Behavior and biological action of 239Pu administered intramuscularly during complexon therapy

With intramuscular injection of 239Pu nitrate the radionuclide content of the rat skeleton was higher, and at the site of injection, lower, than with injection of a polymer plutonium. The animals developed osteosarcomas (nitrate greater than polymer), and at the site of trauma, fibrosarcomas (nitrate less than polymer). After a complexon therapy the dose accretion in the skeleton and liver diminished, the life span increased, and the incidence of sarcomas decreased.     

Studies on the lysosomal binding of 141Ce, 239Np, 239Pu and 241Am in rat and syrian hamster liver using carrier-free electrophoresis

The binding of ¹⁴¹Ce, ²³⁹Np, ¹³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Am in the liver of rats and Syrian hamsters, following injection in essentially monomeric form, was analyzed by carrier-free electrophoresis at 4–9 days and several months after radionuclide injection. In contrast to density gradient methods lysosomes can be clearly separated from other cell organelles by carrier-free electrophoresis. These, and previous results from this and other laboratories confirm that lysosomes are the main initial binding site for these four radionuclides in the livers of rats and Syrian or Chinese hamsters. Light microscopic autoradiography showed that at all the time intervals studied ²⁴¹Am was more or less uniformly distributed in the liver of all three species. Thus, the changes in the electrophoretic pattern of the nuclides, observed at later time periods in hamsters, cannot be explained by gross redistribution phenomena such as accumulation in macrophages.     

Effect of external gamma radiation on shortening the life expectancy and rates of the formation of absorbed doses from incorporated 239Pu in dogs

External gamma irradiation of dogs with doses of 103.2 and 51.6 mC/kg combined with the effect of inhaled plutonium-239 accelerates the formation of absorbed doses in secondary organs of the radionuclide deposition by 41.7 and 2.4 times, respectively, whereas the dose of 25.8 mC/kg is ineffective. As estimated by the rate of 239Pu accumulation and by the life span shortening, the minimum effective and the maximum ineffective doses are 104.8 and 80.5 cGy and 89.2 and 79.2 cGy, respectively.     

Pu同位素示踪技术在土壤侵蚀研究中的应用

土壤侵蚀是地球表面物质迁移的重要形式,也是造成土壤肥力下降和生态环境退化的重要诱因之一,对土壤侵蚀速率的定量研究是进行区域土壤侵蚀治理的前提和基础。大气核试验产生的Pu同位素具有较长的半衰期,其沉降到土壤中易被土壤中的黏土矿物和有机质吸附,近年来被认为是定量研究土壤侵蚀速率的重要示踪元素,尤其是质谱技术的发展,缩短了Pu同位素的测量时间并提高了其测量灵敏度,大力推动了土壤侵蚀核素示踪技术的发展。本文在梳理已有相关研究的基础上,总结土壤中Pu同位素的分布特征及吸附与迁移行为,阐述了应用Pu同位素示踪土壤侵蚀的基本原理和应用研究进展,并对Pu同位素和¹³⁷Cs示踪技术在土壤侵蚀研究中的适用性进行比较分析,对未来研究方向提出展望,以期为科学应用Pu同位素示踪技术研究土壤侵蚀提供参考。     

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.     

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.     

Dynamics of changes in the rat thymus gland as affected by intratracheal administration of 238Pu

A study was made of the effect of intratracheal administration of 238Pu nitrate on rat thymus. Incorporation of an acutely effective dose of the radionuclide (740 kBq X kg-1) induced damages to all thymus structures. The optimal blastomogenic 238Pu amount (92.5 kBq X kg-1) administered during the chronic period of the disease caused complex changes of atrophic, hyper- and neoplastic nature the lymphoid component of the thymus being primarily damaged.     

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.     

Association of Chernobyl-derived 239+240Pu, 241Am, 90Sr and 137Cs with different molecular size fractions of organic matter in the soil solution of two grassland soils

Radiocesium is normally bound only rather weakly and unspecifically by humic substances, in contrast to the actinides Pu and Am. Recently, however, it was observed that fallout ¹³⁷Cs in the soil solution from an Of-horizon of a podzol forest soil (slightly decomposed plant material) was associated essentially only with one single size fraction of the humic substances. In deeper soil layers with well humified material (AOh-horizon), radiocesium was associated with all size fractions of the dissolved organic matter (DOM). To examine whether this unexpected behaviour is also observable for DOM isolated from other soils, we determined the association of fallout ¹³⁷Cs,⁹⁰Sr,²³⁸Pu, ^239+240Pu and ²⁴¹Am with various size fractions of DOM from in situ soil solutions isolated from two layers (0–2 cm and 2–5 cm) of two grassland soils (a soddy podzolic soil and a peat soil) within the 10 km zone of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl (Ukraine). The four size fractions of DOM as obtained by gel filtration of the soil solution were (mean nominal molecular weight in daltons): fraction I: ≥2000, fraction II: 1300; fraction III: 560, fraction IV: inorganic compounds. The results for the well humified DOM (humus accumulation horizon of podzol, deeper layer of peat soil) showed that Pu and Am are essentially associated with the high molecular weight fractions, while Sr is present only in the `inorganic' fraction. Radiocesium is found in all the size fractions separated. A quite similar pattern was also found for Pu, Am, and Sr in the soil solution from only slightly decomposed plant material (0–2 cm of peat soil), but not for radiocesium. This radionuclide was again essentially only observable in one single low molecular weight fraction of DOM. The above results thus support our recent observations in the different horizons of a forest podzol mentioned above, even though no reason for the different binding of radiocesium by well humified soil organic matter and by only slightly decomposed plant material can be given at present. The data demonstrate, however, that information on only the total amount of a radionuclide in the soil solution will not be sufficient to interpret or predict its fate adequately in the soil. Received: 13 February 1998 / Accepted in revised form: 14 July 1998     

Tissue, cellular, and subcellular distribution of 241Pu in the rat testis

The distribution and localization of 241Pu in rat testes were determined by quantitative autoradiography. Rats were given an intravenous injection of 241Pu citrate and tissues were collected 1 week later. The tissue distribution of 241Pu was determined by light microscope autoradiography. Significant concentrations of 241Pu were observed in the interstitial tissue but not in seminiferous tubules. The cellular distribution and subcellular localization of 241Pu were determined by electron microscope autoradiography. Within the interstitial tissue, 241Pu was concentrated in macrophages. There was no preferential localization of 241Pu in any other interstitial tissue components. Within interstitial tissue macrophages, 241Pu was concentrated in the lysosomal system of the cell. Other organellar compartments of the cell did not preferentially incorporate 241Pu. The association of 241Pu with the macrophage lysosomal system may explain the long retention times of Pu in testes as observed in experimental studies.     

Association of plutonium with lysosomal, lipofuscin-like granules in Chinese hamster hepatocytes: evidence from electron microscopic and biochemical studies with 241Pu and 239Pu

This electron-microscopic-autoradiographic study was undertaken to identify the cell organelles, which bind plutonium in Chinese hamster hepatocytes at different times after injection. Female Chinese hamsters were injected intraperitoneally with 241Pu and sacrificed at time intervals of between 4 days and 35 weeks. The Chinese hamster was chosen as the experimental animal as it is a species in which there is virtually no elimination of plutonium from the liver. From the 4th day onwards beta-tracks were found over globular electron-dense structures, which were randomly distributed in the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes and strongly resembled lipofuscin bodies. Comparison of the results with those from biochemical experiments showed good agreement between the morphological and biochemical observations. At early times after injection 241Pu was also found in the hepatocyte nuclei. All the evidence suggests that in this species plutonium in hepatocytes becomes bound to lipofuscin-accumulating lysosomes, which cannot be excreted.     

Combined prophylactic administration of riboxin and algisorbum at 239Pu intake into gastrointestinal tract of rats

The present study is devoted to the investigation of effectiveness of combined prophylactic administration of riboxin and algisorbum at 239Pu per oral intake and possible mechanisms of their interaction, and also to comparative estimation of effectiveness of combined administration of the preparations at per oral and intra peritoneal methods of riboxin introduction. The experiments have been carried out on white nonlinear rats. Riboxin (per oral and intra peritoneal) and algisorbum (per oral) have been introduced to the rats both separately and combined before per oral 239Pu introduction. Data obtained as a result of the investigation showed that combined riboxin and algisorbum introduction into gastrointestinal tract before 239PU intake lead to greater decrease in the plutonium content in the organs of deposition than single algisorbum administration. Intra peritoneal riboxin introduction reduced effectiveness of per oral algisorbum administration in plutonium binding in GI tract. Efficiency of combined riboxin and algisorbum administration in the reduction of 239Pu accumulation in organs depends on the method of riboxin introduction and develops only at per oral introduction.     

Intensification of the excretory flow of plutonium-239 from the body in the late stage of its metabolism

The paper deals with the effect of iron preparations on the excretion of plutonium 239 from a body at a later stage of the radionuclide metabolism. The experimental results show that oral administration of the iron preparation at a later stage of 239Pu metabolism enhances the radionuclide excretion both in urine and in faeces. On the basis of the results obtained the coefficients are calculated for 239Pu excretion in urine and faeces and for its content in the organs of deposition. This may be used for increasing the sensitivity of indirect dosimetry of plutonium-239 within the body.     

Genetic evidence of distinct physiological regulation mechanisms in the sigma(54) Pu promoter of Pseudomonas putida

The activity of the toluene-responsive sigma(54) Pu promoter of the pWW0 TOL plasmid of Pseudomonas putida is down-regulated in vivo during exponential growth in rich medium and also by the presence of glucose in the culture. Although the Pu promoter already performs poorly during log growth in minimal medium when amended with casamino acids, the addition of glucose further decreased by two- to threefold the accumulation of beta-galactosidase in a Pu-lacZ reporter P. putida strain. Since Pu was still down-regulated during exponential growth regardless of glucose addition, it appeared that the carbohydrate separately influenced promoter activity. This notion was supported by the growth-dependent induction pattern of Pu in a ptsN mutant of P. putida, the loss of which makes Pu no longer responsive to repression by glucose. On the other hand, overexpression of the sigma factor sigma(54), known to partially alleviate the exponential silencing of the promoter, did not affect glucose inhibition of Pu. These data indicated that exponential silencing and carbon source-dependent repression are two overlapping but genetically distinguishable mechanisms that adapt Pu to the physiological status of the cells and nutrient availability.     

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.     

Organic forms of artificial radionuclide compounds in soil solutions from natural biogeocenosis

The date on the distribution of the main radiologicaly important polutants of biosphera (90Sr, 137Cs, 239 + 240Pu, 238Pu, 241Am) over the molecular mass fractions of organic matter in the soil solutions of natural environments are presented. Molecular mass constitution and radionuclide content in the fractions are dependent on radionuclide nature and type of soil and change along the soil profile. The major portion of 238Pu, 239 + 240Pu and 241Am (72-98%) was bound with organic matter in the soil solutions. In the case of organic horizons, these radionuclides were selectively connected with the fractions of high molecular masses (MMw > or = 2000). Radiostrontium is present principally in the fraction of inorganic compounds (19-100%) and in the low molecular mass fraction of organic matter (MMw = 350-500). A selective interaction of 137Cs with organic matter of definite molecular masses was not observed. The radionuclide was found in the "organic" fractions of a wide range of molecular masses (MMw from 350-500 to > or = 18,000) (34-97%) as well as in the fraction of inorganic compounds. The data obtained can provide the theoretical basis for explanation of higher mobility of 90Sr in soil profiles compared to other radionuclides.     

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.     

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)