Uptake and retention of 238Pu in glandular tissue of the rat, chinese hamster, and dog

Data obtained in a previous study with male rats suggest that the uptake of Pu by mammary tissue is highly nonuniform and its retention is prolonged. Since there is little information regarding Pu dosimetry in mammary and other glandular tissues, this study was conducted using male and female F344/N rats, Chinese hamsters, and Beagle dogs injected intravenously with 238Pu-citrate. The animals were sacrificed at various times after injection, and autoradiographs were prepared on samples of the mammary glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, and liver. Preliminary data indicated that the alpha irradiation of mammary tissue was nonuniform, because the Pu was incorporated mainly in the alveolar and ductal cells. The high level of Pu labeling noted in the mammary tissue of the male rat, equal to that of liver cells, may be specific to that species and sex. 2 tables