Determination of terbium in organs of mice administered terbium chloride: comparative study of fluorometry and atomic absorption spectrometry.

The determination of terbium (Tb) in organs by fluorometry and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was investigated. The organs of mice were ashed before the instrumental applications. The fluorometric measurement of Tb was performed after formation of a complex with dipicolinate. The detection limit was 0.1 micrograms/mL and the coefficient of variation was less than 5% (N = 6). AAS measurement of Tb was carried out with a pyrolytic graphite furnace. The detection limit by AAS was 1 microgram/mL. The concentrations of Tb in various organs of mice intraperitoneally administered TbCl3 at doses of 10, 50, and 250 mg Tb/kg were measured by both methods. The values obtained from each organ were dependent on the dose. High concentrations of Tb were found in spleen, pancreas, and seminal vesicle; lesser amounts were found in liver and testis. The correlation coefficient for both methods was high; r = 0.991 (N = 20) in liver and r = 0.988 (N = 20) in pancreas.