Factors affecting the in vitro dissolution of cobalt oxide.

In a recent interspecies comparison of the lung clearance of cobalt oxide (57Co3O4), differences of up to 4-fold were found in the translocation rates of 57Co to blood between seven different animal species, including man. This study investigated some factors that could influence the dissolution of this material in vitro. The effect of bicarbonate and citrate concentrations (over physiological ranges) and medium pH on in vitro dissolution of 57Co from 57Co3O4 particles was measured in a simple noncellular system. pH levels of 4.5, 6.1, and 7.2 were used to correspond to those in the alveolar macrophage lysosome, its cytoplasm, and the extracellular lung fluid. Measurements of the fractional dissolution rate were made weekly for 3 months. pH had the greatest effect on dissolution rates, with particles suspended in the lowest pH medium (4.5) dissolving at a significantly faster rate than at higher pH values. Increasing citrate concentrations resulted in slightly higher dissolution rates, but there was no effect of bicarbonate concentration. There was no evidence of synergism between the factors studied.