Pellmar T C, Fuciarelli A F, Ejnik J W, Hamilton M, Hogan J, Strocko S, Emond C, Mottaz H M, Landauer M R
Radiation Pathophysiology and Toxicology Department, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20889-5603, USA.
Toxicol Sci. 1999 May;49(1):29-39. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/49.1.29.
During the Persian Gulf War, soldiers were injured with depleted uranium (DU) fragments. To assess the potential health risks associated with chronic exposure to DU, Sprague Dawley rats were surgically implanted with DU pellets at 3 dose levels (low, medium and high). Biologically inert tantalum (Ta) pellets were used as controls. At 1 day and 6, 12, and 18 months after implantation, the rats were euthanized and tissue samples collected. Using kinetic phosphorimetry, uranium levels were measured. As early as 1 day after pellet implantation and at all subsequent sample times, the greatest concentrations of uranium were in the kidney and tibia. At all time points, uranium concentrations in kidney and bone (tibia and skull) were significantly greater in the high-dose rats than in the Ta-control group. By 18 months post-implantation, the uranium concentration in kidney and bone of low-dose animals was significantly different from that in the Ta controls. Significant concentrations of uranium were excreted in the urine throughout the 18 months of the study (224 +/- 32 ng U/ml urine in low-dose rats and 1010 +/- 87 ng U/ml urine in high-dose rats at 12 months). Many other tissues (muscle, spleen, liver, heart, lung, brain, lymph nodes, and testicles) contained significant concentrations of uranium in the implanted animals. From these results, we conclude that kidney and bone are the primary reservoirs for uranium redistributed from intramuscularly embedded fragments. The accumulations in brain, lymph nodes, and testicles suggest the potential for unanticipated physiological consequences of exposure to uranium through this route.
在海湾战争期间，士兵被贫铀（DU）碎片击中受伤。为了评估长期接触贫铀可能带来的健康风险，将不同剂量水平（低、中、高）的贫铀丸通过手术植入斯普拉格-道利大鼠体内。生物惰性的钽（Ta）丸用作对照。在植入后1天以及6、12和18个月，对大鼠实施安乐死并采集组织样本。采用动力学磷光法测量铀含量。早在植入贫铀丸后1天以及随后所有采样时间，肾脏和胫骨中的铀浓度最高。在所有时间点，高剂量组大鼠肾脏和骨骼（胫骨和颅骨）中的铀浓度显著高于钽对照组。到植入后18个月，低剂量组动物肾脏和骨骼中的铀浓度与钽对照组有显著差异。在整个18个月的研究期间，尿液中均有大量铀排出（12个月时，低剂量组大鼠尿液中铀浓度为224±32 ng U/ml，高剂量组为1010±87 ng U/ml）。在植入贫铀丸的动物中，许多其他组织（肌肉、脾脏、肝脏、心脏、肺、脑、淋巴结和睾丸）也含有大量铀。从这些结果我们得出结论，肾脏和骨骼是从肌肉内嵌入碎片重新分布的铀的主要储存部位。铀在脑、淋巴结和睾丸中的蓄积表明，通过这种途径接触铀可能会产生意想不到的生理后果。
