Reduction of strontium absorption in man by the addition of alginate to the diet

Complexes of myo-inositol-hexakisphosphate (InsP6) with zinc or lanthanum to enhance excretion of radioactive strontium from the body

⁹⁰Sr, which was released into the atmosphere and the ocean following the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disasters, is an important nuclear fission element. Compounds that inhibit the absorption of ⁹⁰Sr into the bloodstream and enhance its elimination can be beneficial in decreasing the absorbed radiation dose in people exposed to ⁹⁰Sr. Recently, we prepared complexes of myo-inositol-hexakisphosphate (InsP6) with zinc or lanthanum as decorporation agents. These complexes, called Zn-InsP6 and La-InsP6 respectively, are insoluble in water and can potentially chelate additional metal cations. Hypothesizing that these complexes can assist the excretion of ⁹⁰Sr from the body, we evaluated them using ⁸⁵Sr instead of ⁹⁰Sr. In in vitro binding experiments, Zn-InsP6 showed higher strontium adsorption capacity than La-InsP6. We then performed in vivo biodistribution experiments of Zn-InsP6 in mice after oral administration of ⁸⁵SrCl₂. Mice treated with Zn-InsP6 showed significantly lower bone accumulation of radioactivity than mice in a non-treatment control group. Zn-InsP6 adsorbed radiostrontium in the gastrointestinal tract, inhibited this ion’s absorption into the bloodstream, and enhanced its excretion in the feces. Therefore, Zn-InsP6 appears to be a promising ⁹⁰Sr “decorporation” agent.

Evaluation of Chlorella as a Decorporation Agent to Enhance the Elimination of Radioactive Strontium from Body

Background

Release of radionuclides, such as ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr, into the atmosphere and the ocean presents an important problem because internal exposure to ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr could be very harmful to humans. Chlorella has been reported to be effective in enhancing the excretion of heavy metals; thus, we hypothesized that Chlorella could also enhance the elimination of ¹³⁷Cs or ⁹⁰Sr from the body. We evaluated the potential of Chlorella as a decorporation agent in vitro and in vivo, using ⁸⁵Sr instead of ⁹⁰Sr.

Methods

In vitro experiments of adsorption of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁸⁵Sr to Chlorella were performed under wide pH conditions. The maximum sorption capacity of Chlorella to strontium was estimated using the Langmuir model. A ⁸⁵Sr solution was orally administrated to mice pretreated with Chlorella. At 48 h after ⁸⁵Sr administration, the biodistribution of radioactivity was determined.

Results

In the in vitro experiments, although ⁸⁵Sr barely adsorbed to Chlorella at low pH, the ⁸⁵Sr adsorption ratio to Chlorella increased with increasing pH. The maximum sorption capacity of Chlorella to strontium was 9.06 mg / g. ¹³⁷Cs barely adsorbed to Chlorella under any pH conditions. In the biodistribution experiments, bone accumulation of radioactivity after ⁸⁵Sr administration was significantly decreased in the Chlorella pretreatment group compared with the non-treatment control group.

Conclusions

In conclusion, these results indicated that Chlorella could inhibit the absorption of ⁹⁰Sr into the blood and enhance the elimination of ⁹⁰Sr from the body through adsorption in intestine. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanism and the components of Chlorella needed for adsorption to strontium and could promote the development of more effective decorporation agents.

Human biokinetics of strontium--part II: Final data evaluation of intestinal absorption and urinary excretion of strontium in human subjects after stable tracer administration

Fractional intestinal absorption (f1 value) and urinary excretion of strontium in healthy human volunteers has been measured by simultaneous oral and intravenous administration of the stable isotopes 86Sr and 84Sr using the double-isotope method. Final evaluation of the complete data set confirmed that ingestion of different foodstuff and nutritional factors could influence the fractional gut uptake of strontium. In some cases, significant deviations from the f1 value adopted by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) were found. The arithmetic mean (+/- standard deviation) of the f1 values of all experiments performed was determined to be 0.46 (+/- 0.24). The probability distribution function of the f1 values is represented by a lognormal curve with a geometric mean of 0.38 and a geometric standard deviation of 2.06. Urinary excretion in all subjects varied depending on the administered foodstuff in a wide range and differs from the ICRP model, up to 2 days after tracer administration. No age or gender dependence of the absorbed strontium fraction and of the urinary excretion of strontium after an oral load was found.

Strontium biokinetics in humans: influence of alginate on the uptake of ingested strontium

Radioactive isotopes of strontium, mainly 90Sr, released into the environment due to nuclear accidents may contribute significantly to the internal radiation exposure of members of the public after ingestion of strontium with contaminated foodstuffs. The committed radiation dose is significantly dependent on the fraction of the ingested activity that crossed the gut wall (f1 value). In tracer kinetic investigations, the effect of sodium alginate on the gastrointestinal absorption of strontium was studied in human subjects. Sodium alginate was proven to be a potent agent for reducing strontium absorption with high efficiency and virtually no toxicity. The data obtained show that the uptake of ingested strontium from milk was reduced by a factor of nine when alginate was added to milk. It is concluded that alginate preparations are a suitable antidote against radiostrontium.

Effects of soluble sodium alginate on cholesterol excretion and glucose tolerance in rats

We studied the effects of a natural sodium alginate (isolated from Laminaria angustata Kjellman var. longissima Miyabe, Phaeophyceae) (average molecular weight: 2700 kDa; AG-270) and three water-soluble low-molecular weight sodium alginates (average molecular weights, 10, 50 and 100 kDa; AG-1, AG 5, and AG-10, respectively) on cholesterol excretion and glucose tolerance in rats. AG-270, AG-5 and AG-10 enhanced cholesterol excretion into faeces. AG-270 and AG-10 inhibited blood glucose and insulin levels from rising 30 min after glucose administration. AG-5 inhibited the blood glucose level from rising 30 and 60 min after glucose administration, without affecting blood insulin levels. AG-1 had no effect on cholesterol excretion or glucose tolerance. These findings suggest that the effects of the natural sodium alginate and AG-5 and AG-10 on cholesterol excretion and glucose tolerance may be due to the inhibition of cholesterol and glucose absorption from the small intestine by the gelling of the free alginic acid converted in the stomach. These experimental results indicate that the low-molecular weight sodium alginates, AG-5 and AG-10, should be useful as dietary fibers for the prevention of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes.

Thermodynamic approach to the selection of polyuronide sequestrants for preventive and medicinal nutrition

An approach to the analysis of isotherms of cooperative binding is developed that allows to calculate approximately affinity profiles, i.e. dependencies of binding constants on binding densities. The comparison of the affinity profiles of the interactions of Ca2+ and Sr2+ ions with sodium pectate as well as sodium alginates with the different content of the blocks of alpha-L-guluronic acid residues (GG-blocks) and blocks of mixed composition showed that (1) pectate has higher affinity to both ions as compared with alginates; (2) the affinity of pectate to Ca2+ ions is comparable to its affinity to Sr2+ ions but in the case of Ca2+ ions the maximum of the affinity profile falls on the substantially lesser value of the binding density in comparison to Sr2+ ions that seems to be unfavorable from the standpoint of the use of this polyuronide in preventive or medicinal nutrition; (3) the affinity of both alginates to Sr2+ ions at relatively low binding densities exceeds their affinity to Ca2+ ions; (4) the affinity of alginates to Sr2+ ions increases with the increase in the content of GG-blocks, whereas the affinity to Ca2+ ions practically does not depend on the composition of the alginate; (5) the maximum binding density of Sr2+ ions to the alginates approximately corresponds to the content of GG-blocks. These results corroborate the practice of the use of alginates rich in residues of alpha-L-guluronic acid for the removal of radioactive strontium from the digestive tract. The binding constants of Pb2+ ions to pectate over a wide range of binding densities are more than an order of magnitude greater than those of alkali-earth metal ions.