Localisation and tissue effects of tritiated dehydroretronecine in young rats.

Sixteen male Spraque-Dawley rats were injected with 3H-dehydroretronecine. The rats were subsequently evaluated for gross and microscopic changes. Scintillation counts and autoradiographic studies of the various organs demonstrated that the pyrrole accumulates in organs which were shown here and by others (Peterson et al; Allen and Hsu) to be affected most severely by dehydroretronecine and dehydroheliotridine. In the present experiment 3H-dehydroretronecine was shown to decrease the growth rate of the rats, decrease the percentage of circulating neutrophils and alter the hepatic mitotic index. Histologically, accumulations of label were seen in the glandular region of the stomach, in the liver, in Huxley's and Henle's layers of the hair follicles and in the epithelial cells lining the convoluted tubules of the kidney. Scintillation counts on the various tissues and autoradiographic evaluations of tissue sections indicate that there is a preferential localisation of radioactivity in the gastric mucosa which is postulated to be related to the pH in this area.