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Fate of Ferric Hydroxide Macroaggregates in the Lungs of Mice

Institute of Oncology and Institute of Drugs, Warsaw, Poland

Correspondence: For reprints contact: J. Szymendera, Institute of Oncology, P.O. Box 47, 00-973 Warsaw, Poland.

ABSTRACT

The retention of ferric hydroxide macroaggregates, its fate, and its sequelae in the lungs were studied in mice. It has been found that, following i.v. injection, about 90% of macroaggregates lodged in small arteries, precapillary arterioles, and capillaries of the lungs. Seventy-five percent of the dose belonged to the long-term retention fraction with a half-time of 3.5 months. A significant proportion of larger aggregates deposited initially in arteries and precapillary arterioles broke down and lodged in still smaller vessels. Whenever total obstruction of the vessels occurred, it led always to focal hyperemia of the surrounding tissue and very often to hemorrhage into the alveoli or to hemorrhagic infarcts. Those processes were observed from the beginning and continued to the end of the 5-week study. Occlusion of the vessels was followed by perivascular inflammation in 70% of animals. Many emboli underwent organization and in some of them calcification was observed. Both the organization of emboli and the perivascular inflammation obliterated or at least narrowed the vessels involved.

We consider that ferric hydroxide macroaggregate preparations can be used for pulmonary scanning only after careful biological examination since even slight modifications of the standard preparation may modify the macroaggregate fragility and their behavior in the lungs.