Relationship between blood flow, bone structure, and 239Pu deposition in the mouse skeleton.

The rate at which blood is supplied to several bones in female CBA mice was calculated from 18F measurements in bone and blood. Blood flow measurements were compared with plutonium uptake in whole bone and on endosteal and periosteal bone surfaces. The results showed that: (a) the rate at which blood is supplied to bone determines the rate of deposition of plutonium; (b) there is a threshold rate of blood supply below which plutonium is not deposited; and (c) the rate of blood supply determines the density of plutonium deposition on endosteal but not no periosteal bone surfaces. These results are discussed in the light of the current bone blood supply hypotheses.