The Metabolism of Radiohafnium in Rats and Hamsters: A Possible Analog of Plutonium for Metabolic Studies

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Abstract
The metabolism of 175Hf + 181Hf was studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats and Chinese hamsters for periods of up to 168 days. The results were compared with similar data for 239Pu in the same rat strain. In rats and hamsters the radiohafnium organ distribution was skeleton > skin > muscle > liver at .apprx. 7 days postinjection. Retention of radiohafnium and Pu was similar in plasma and liver, as were the retention times observed for other organs. Absorption of radiohafnium from the gastrointestinal tract of rats was < 0.05%. Biochemical studies showed that the radiohafnium was bound mainly to the Fe transport protein, transferrin, in blood plasma and in the liver cytosol of both the rat and the hamster, as had been observed also for Pu. the metabolic behavior of radiohafnium mimicked, to a large extent, that of Pu, and radiohafnium probably can serve as a non-.alpha.-particle-emitting analog of Pu for metabolic, biochemical and selected human investigations.