The concentration of radioactive iodine in the thyroid lymph, thyroid venous blood and peripheral blood of primates

Journal Article · Thu Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1963 · Journal of Physiology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1963.sp007259· OSTI ID:4059328

Daniel, P. M.; Gale, Muriel M.; Pratt, O. E.

Attempts were made to find out to what extent iodinated compounds are present in lyraph draining from the thyroid gland of the primate, by using baboons, Papio papio, which were injected with 50 to 200 μC ¹³¹I 2 to 7 days before collection of lymph. Radioiodine was released from the thyroid gland of the baboon into the lymphatic vessels which drain the gland, as well as into the thyroid venous blood. A high proportion, 90% or more, of the ¹³¹I appeared in the thyroid lymph in organically combined form. The concentration of ¹³¹I in the thyroid lymph was very much higher (10 to 100-fold) than that in the thyroid venous blood or in the peripheral blood. The administration of thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH) raised the concentration of radioactivity in the thyroid lymph as well as in the thyroid venous blood and these separate effects of TSH appeared to be closely related processes. lt is known that physical or radiation damage to the thyroid gland may lead to the appearance of iodoprotein in the peripheral blood; however, it was possible to exclude the factor of physical damage by collecting lynaph at a distance from the gland. To avoid radiation damage, the doses of ¹³¹I used were lower than those generally used in experiments on the release of radioiodine from the thyroid gland. It was shown that if ¹²⁵I was used instead of ¹³¹I, the radiation dose rate to the thyroid gland of a small animal can be reduced by a factor of about 25, and a preliminary study, in which¹²⁵I was used in the monkey, suggested that a similar release of radioiodine, in organic form, takes place into the thyroid lymph. It seems unlikely that such a very low radiation dose could damage the thyroid gland. Therefore, it was concluded that the release of iodinated compounds into the lymphatics of the thyroid is a physiological phenomenon and that it is not due to damage to the gland.

• Research Organization: Maudsley Hospital, London
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-18-017440
• OSTI ID: 4059328
• Journal Information: Journal of Physiology, Journal Name: Journal of Physiology Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 169; ISSN 0022-3751
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOCHEMISTRY
BLOOD
BLOOD CIRCULATION
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
EFFICIENCY
HORMONES
IODINE 125
IODINE 131
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LYMPH SYSTEM
MEASURED VALUES
METABOLISM
MONKEYS
NUMERICALS
PERFORMANCE
PHYSIOLOGY
PROTEINS
QUANTITY RATIO
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIOACTIVITY
SAFETY
SENSITIVITY
TESTING
THYROID
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TSH
VARIATIONS