[The effect of age and sex on bone retention of radioactive strontium 85Sr in rats].

Retention of radioactive strontium 85Sr (18,5 kBq i.e. 0.5 microCi i.p.)--concerning the whole body and in distal epiphysis, distal metaphysis and in the thigh bone diaphysis--was followed up in two similar experiments for the period of 5-6 weeks in rats of both sexes and different age (younger category 40-45 days, older category 120-140 days). In both experiments bone retention 85Sr in older female rats is lower than in younger female rats. In male rats similar difference has not been constantly proved. Retention seems to be higher in female rats in comparison with males in the category of young rats. On the contrary in the category of older rats the retention is lower in female rats. In epiphysis and diaphysis of the thigh bone the differences are analogous to whole body differences; 85Sr reacts in the opposite way in distal metaphysis--retention is here extensively higher in older rats than in younger ones. The results obtained confirm the conclusion interesting from the point of view of clinical problem: avidity of the skelet to administered radioactive strontium is in younger female rats higher than in young male rats. However it is severely declining especially in female rats--in the second experiment as far as the level significantly lower than in male rats of the same older age category.