Efficacies of three chelating agents on removal of plutonium in rats: comparison of CBMIDA, 3,4,3-LIHOPO and Ca-DTPA

The effects of three chelating agents, CBMIDA, 3,4,3-LIHOPO, and Ca-DTPA, for removing Pu-239 in rats were compared. Forty female Wistar rats, 2 months old, were pre-injected intraperitoneally with 37,000Bq/kg of plutonium nitrate and divided into four groups. Thereafter the rats of three groups were injected intraperitoneally with three chelating agents at a dose of 30mmol/kg, equivalent to a daily recommended human dose of Ca-DTPA, at intervals of 24hr for 3 days, beginning 30 min after plutonium injection on the first day of treatment. Urine and feces were collected every 24 hr. On day 4, the rats were sacrificed to obtain organs including the liver, kidney, and spleen, as well as the femur and serum. The amounts of excreted plutonium in urine of the CBMIDA and Ca-DTPA groups were increased significantly over that in the 3,4,3-LIHOPO and control groups, while those in the feces of the 3,4,3-LIHOPO group were increased significantly over the other groups on the first day. The total amount of excreted plutonium by 3 day-treatments was highest in the 3,4,3-LIHOPO group. The toxicity of each agent was discussed. It is concluded that at the same doses, the effect of 3,4,3-LIHOPO was superior to CBMIDA and Ca-DTPA for removing plutonium in rats