The oral assimilation of radiomanganese by the mouse.

The metabolism of orally administered radiomanganese was studied in mice. Assimilation of absorbed manganese (Mn) was determined using whole body counting techniques. When(54)MnCl2 was administered, 2.7% of the dose was retained after 10 d compared with 1.2% from the(54)Mn-nitrilotriacetate (NTA) complex. However, this difference was accounted for by the rapid and persistent adsorption of the Mn onto the teeth of the lower jaw when fed as the ionic salt at pH 2.0 compared with the NTA-chelate fed at pH 9.0. Once corrected for the amount adsorbed onto the teeth, the biodistribution and relative specific activity of the assimilated radiomanganese into a variety of tissues were similar for both forms of the metal.