Timing of early chelating therapy for acute uranium intoxication

Rats were treated with DTPA and H-73-10 intraperitoneal injections 15 minutes to 4 days after acute uranium intoxication. The mortality and changes in body weight, kidney weight, renal histology and histochemistry were investigated. The results show that the renal damage could be diminished significantly by chelating therapy started 15 minutes and 6 hours after urnium poisoning. Single large dose injection (1 g/kg weight) of H-73-10 yielded the best result, and daily 0.5 g/kg of H-73-10 injection for 5 days is the next, both are better than single injection of DTPA (1 g/kg body weight). One day after intoxication there was still some protective effect. On the contrary, if the chelating therapy started 2-4 days after urnium poisoning it would increase the renal damage and the mortality. This is of great value to the correct selection of timing of chelating therapy for uranium intoxication