THE UPTAKE OF THALLIUM BY RABBIT ERYTHROCYTES

¹ Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota

The time course of thallium uptake by washed rabbit erythrocytes was studied using a basic medium consisting of TIN0₃ (0.0938 mmol/l), glucose (0.025 mol/l), and NaNO₃ as the suporting electrolyte. The ratio of the concentration of the thallium in the erythrocytes to that in the suspending solution varied from 8.5 to 14.8 at the end of 2 hours. The rate of thallium uptake was characterized by an initial fast component and a distinctly slower one. Both slopes of disapearance from the external medium followed first order kinetics.

Fluoride, but not cyanide, reduced the ability of erythrocytes to concentrate thallium. Potassium and ouabain in the external medium and incubation at 4°C greatly reduced the ability of erythrocytes to concentrate thallium. The fast component was completely eliminated by the presence of ouabain and by incubation in the cold. This component also was considerably depressed by the presence of potassium. All three of these conditions reduced the rate of uptake by the slow component, but did not abolish it.

It is concluded that a thallium-potassium interrelationship exists with regard to the uptake of thallium by rabbit erythrocytes.

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