Distribution and genotoxic effects after successive exposure to different uranium oxide particles inhaled by rats.
In nuclear fuel cycle facilities, workers may inhale airborne uranium compounds that lead to internal contamination, with various exposure scenarios depending on the workplace. These exposures can be chronic, repeated, or acute, and can involve many different compounds. The effect of uranium after multiple scenarios of exposure is unknown. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the genotoxic and biokinetics consequences of exposure to depleted insoluble uranium dioxide (UO2) by repeated or acute inhalation on subsequent acute inhalation of moderately soluble uranium peroxide (UO4) in rats. The results show that UO2 repeated preexposure by inhalation increases the genotoxic effects of UO4 inhalation, assessed by comet assay, in different cell types, when UO4 exposure alone has no effect. At the same time, the study of UO4 bioaccumulation showed that the UO4 biokinetics in the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and excreta, but not in the lungs, were slightly modified by previous UO2 exposures. All these results show that both genotoxic and biokinetics effects of uranium may depend on preexposure and that repeated exposure induces a potentiation effect compared with acute exposure.
Monleau
Marjorie
M
IRSN/DRPH/SRBE, Laboratoire de Radiotoxicologie Expérimentale, Pierrelatte Cedex, France.
De Méo
Michel
M
Frelon
Sandrine
S
Paquet
François
F
Donnadieu-Claraz
Marie
M
Duménil
Gérard
G
Chazel
Valérie
V
D000336:Aerosols; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000145:classification / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D020552:Comet Assay; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009153:Mutagens / Q000145:classification / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D017974:Uranium Compounds / Q000145:classification / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*
D000336:Aerosols; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D009153:Mutagens; D017974:Uranium Compounds; C114698:uranium peroxide; C012597:uranium dioxide