The Penetration of I131 Labeled Sodium Iodate into the Ocular Tissues and Fluids

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Abstract
The distribution of I131 labeled sodium iodate into the ocular fluids and some ocular and extraocular tissues was studied in the rabbit following intravenous injection of the poison. The concentration of iodate in blood decreased gradually, the isotope being still detectable 24 hr. after the injection. Most of the circulating iodate was not bound to plasma proteins. Iodate levels of the intraocular fluids rose in the first 3-6 hr. after the administration, reaching values as high as the earlier ones recorded in blood. The thyroid, kidney and liver and in the eye the retinal pigment epithelium and the choroid showed a considerable uptake of iodate, while this was very low in the case of the retina and lens, as in the brain. The results are discussed with relation to the retinal degeneration produced by sodium iodate in experimental animals. The considerable uptake of iodate by the retinal pigment epithelium could explain the primary involvement of this retinal layer, demonstrated by means of electron microscopy in the course of the retinal degeneration due to iodate.