skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Distribution and retention of hexavalent /sup 233/U in the beagle

Journal Article · · Radiat. Res.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3575263· OSTI ID:5098999

The distribution, retention, and excretion of /sup 233/U were measured in seven beagles injected intravenously with 2.8 ..mu..Ci /sup 233/U(VI)/kg (approx. 3 mg/dog) in citrate buffer and sacrificed at times ranging from 1 to 726 days postinjection (PI). The concentration of U in plasma decreased rapidly, and for the first 24 h PI could be described by triphasic exponential equation with half-times of 0.92, 46, and 315 min. The uranium in the blood at 5 min PI was present as either a protein (transferrin-albumin) or a carbonate/bicarbonate complex. Up to 60% of the injected U was excreted during the first day, most of it in the urine. Whole-body retention was 17% at 7 days, 10% at 94 days, 7.6% at 1 year, and less than 5% at 2 years PI. Except for the kidney, only a small fraction of the injected U was retained in soft tissues. At 1 day PI, the liver contained 1.1% of the injected U and its subcellular distribution was similar to that seen with Pu(IV). At 1 day PI, 7.7% of the U was found in the skeleton; this amount decreased with a biological half-life of 883 days. Initially, U was deposited nonuniformly on bone surfaces with areas of intense hot spots adjacent to areas with intermediate and low concentrations. At later times redistribution and/or diffusion of U into the bone volume produced a deposition pattern intermediate to that of /sup 239/Pu (surface) and /sup 226/Ra (volume). The heterogeneit of surface deposits persisted, and isolated segments of the trabecular bone showed intense surface deposits at times greater than 1 year PI. Twnety-two percent of the injected U was found in the kidneys at 1 day PI with high concentrations localized in the proximal tubules. The initially high concentration of U in this organ was correlated with extensive diuresis and a persistent elevation in blood urea nitrogen. Damage to proximal tubules was attributed primarily to chemical toxicity but was aggravated by simultaneous ..cap alpha.. irradiation.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-02-0119
OSTI ID:
5098999
Journal Information:
Radiat. Res.; (United States), Vol. 83:1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English