Plutonium uptake by cell cultures in presence of some chelating agents

A study has been made of the uptake of plutonium into HeLa-S3 and Chang liver cells. The influence of various chelating agents on this uptake has been examined, the object being to set up a method of assessment of the value of potential therapeutic agents for the removal of accidentally ingested plutonium from humans. Although it has been shown that chelating agents which alter the distribution of ingested plutonium in animals are capable of influencing the rate of uptake of plutonium into cultured cells, there are variations in results between different cell species. This means that the cell culture evaluation method for chelating agents can only be used to supplement rather than replace animal experiments.