Influence of the administered mass of tellurium on plasma clearance in rabbits.

The combination of analytical techniques such as PNA and SIMS with a compartmental approach enables the study of the metabolism and biokinetics in humans of several elements by using stable isotopes as tracers. The techniques developed for Te require the administration of greater masses than those used for similar studies performed with radioactive tracers, therefore a test was carried out in rabbits in order to assess the possible influence of the administered amounts on the determination of the biokinetic parameters. The behaviour of the tracers was found to be similar for Te administration of up to 70 micrograms/kg of body weight. An inter-individual variability in the size of the transfer compartment was observed and has to be taken into account.