Distribution of titanium and vanadium following repeated injection of high-dose salts.

Titanium and its alloy of 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium are used extensively in orthopedic and dental surgery. However, in conditions of motion leading to wear, there is significant generation of wear products with deposition of black debris in the tissue. The questions remain as to how much of this debris is generated and to where it is transported. Previous studies have been hampered by low levels of detected elements giving values just above the background levels found in normal tissue and body fluids. The purpose of these experiments was to increase the body burden of titanium and vanadium by injecting larger doses of titanium and vanadium salts over an extended period of time. Each animal (Syrian hamster) received 100 micrograms of each element once a week for six weeks. The hamster was sacrificed on the seventh week and body fluids and tissue harvested. The results indicate that in the experimental animals there was transport of vanadium with levels above control in urine, plasma, liver, spleen, and the mineralized portion and organic portion of bone. Titanium had less transport but still showed levels in the experimental animals in plasma, kidney, liver, spleen, and both phases of bone above those in the control animals. Neither element was found above control levels in lung or red blood cells. The levels of titanium and vanadium in control bone were high, possibly indicating bone as a site for storage and accumulation of these elements when encountered in the activities of daily living.