Nickel and strontium distribution in some mouse tissues. Passage through placenta and mammary glands.

Radioactive isotopes of strontium or nickel (89Sr and 63Ni) were injected ip as chlorides on adult female mice and the distribution and retention studied in several soft and hard tissues, including tissues of fetuses and sucklings. The strontium concentration was comparable in liver, kidney and heart and higher than that of brain tissue. The acid soluble part of the mineralized tissues showed a strontium concentration 100-1000 times that of the soft tissues. Progeny receiving strontium through placenta or through mammary glands showed a distribution pattern similar to that of their mother, with retention of strontium in mineralized tissue. The nickel concentration was larger in the kidney than in other organs investigated. No nickel affinity was found for mineralized tissues. Nickel was readily passed through placenta and mammary glands. Contrary to findings for strontium, the nickel concentration in tissues of fetuses was higher than that of their mother.