J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 60(14): 2109-2122, 1960

---

STUDIES ON RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION THROUGH AIR WAY AND ABSORPTIVE FUNCTION OF THE LUNG ALVEOLI

Radioactive phosphorus was administered by intratracheal injection to 90 rabbits. The injected solutions consisted of 0.1 cc of P³² solution (200μc) and some sorts of solvents, such as distilled water, physiologic saline solution, 50% glucose solution and 9 kinds of phosphate buffer solutions, each 0.9 cc. The author investigated the distribution in the body, especially in the blood, and excretion of P³² and the histopathological changes of the lung in each combination of solutions in order to elucidate the innuence of each solvent and of the pH and osmotic pressure of the injected solutions upon the rate of uptake of P³² from the lung alveoli. The mechanism of absorption of P³² from the lung alveoli was discussed by comparing it with dialysis through the cellophane membrane. The results are as follows :
(1) When the solvent of P³² is physiologic saline solution or 50% glucose solution, the rate of absorption of P³² is almost uninfluenced by the pH of the injected solution. When the solvent is distilled water, P³² is slightly more rapidly absorbed from the lung alveoli in the case of alkaline injected solutions than the case of neutral and acid.
(2) When the pH of the injected solution is equal and the solvents of P³² are different-distilled water, physiologic saline solution and 50% glucose solution, P³² is most rapidly absorbed in the case of distilled water, the next physiologic saline solution, the last 50% glucose solution.
(3) When 9 kinds of phosphate buffer solutions are used as the solvents of P³², the less is the mol concentration of the solvents, the more quickly P³² is absorbed. Although the pH of the solvents is different, the rate of absorption of P³² is almost unchanged, when the mols of the solvents are equal.
(4) P³² absorbed from the lung is deposited in the bone, liver and kidney. So the hematopoietic organ is the critical one in all cases.
(5) Marked pathological changes of the lung are observed in the case of 50% glucose solution. When the solvents are phosphate buffer solutions, the more the mols of the solvents are, the severer are the pathological changes of the lung.
(6) From the results of dialysis studies, it seems that the alveolar wall may function as s mipenneable membrane. The absorption from the lung alveoli, however, may be influenced not only by the permeability of the alveolar wall, but by reaction to the injected solutions and histopathological changes 0£ the lung.
(7) As a conclusion, the pH of the injected solution is not important in influencing the absorptive function of the lung alveoli, but the osmotic pressure of the injected solution exerts a great influence upon the absorptive function of the lung alveoli. The higher is the osmotic pressure of the injected solution, the lower is the absorptiv function of the lung alveoli.
(Author's abstract)

---

---

To read the PDF file you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer.