Placental transfer and retention of 201Ti-thallium in the rat.

Placental transfer of thallium was evidenced in rats treated with a single intraperitoneal dose of 2 micrograms 201T1-labelled thallium/rat on the 13th day of pregnancy. Both maternal and fetal organs showed remarkable thallium retention, approx. 10% of the dose being unexcreted 8 days after injection. The highest thallium accumulation was found in maternal muscle and brain tissues. Fetal brain exhibits higher thallium uptake and faster decay rate of thallium levels than maternal brain. It is suggested that the reduced activity of the mechanisms regulating ion movements and composition of nervous tissue and the immaturity of the blood-brain barrier play a role in the peculiar pattern of thallium kinetics in the developing rat brain.