The Initial Early Distribution of Monomeric 239 Pu and 241 Am in Rat Liver as Determined by Triton WR 1339 Injection

Abstract

The subcellular distribution of intravenously injected monomeric /sup 239/Pu and /sup 241/Am in rat liver was investigated using the injection of the nonionic detergent Triton WR 1339 as a method for obtaining purified lysosomes. It has been shown that a considerable proportion of both nuclides moves to lighter densities under the influence of Triton WR 1339 with a corresponding shift of two lysosomal marker enzymes. These observations and the lack of correspondence between the radionuclide distribution profiles and the marker enzymes for other cell organelles have led to the conclusion that lysosomes are an important storage organelle for /sup 239/Pu and /sup 241/Am in rat liver at the sixth day after injection. There was also some indication that the radionuclides might be associated partly with /sup 59/Fe-binding components of the cell. However, the possibility of artifacts in this respect cannot be excluded. The use of Triton WR 1339 in subcellular binding studies causes several problems which need careful consideration.