Author
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Bai, Yisheng |
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Hunt, Curtiss |
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Submitted to: North Dakota Academy of Science Proceedings
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 4/25/1996 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: The element boron is found in humans but its biological roles are still unclear. Furthermore, distribution of boron in humans has not been thoroughly investigated. Thus, it was important to determine how boron is absorbed and distributed when boron is administrated in amounts similar to those normally found in diets. Adults rats, fed regular diets, were killed before and after the administration of a dose of boron by mouth. Boron concentrations in blood, liver, testes, bone, and muscle peaked at 1 hour, but disappeared at different rates. Increases in boron concentrations in testes and bone were maintained longer than those in blood, liver, and muscle. Smaller increases in boron concentrations in brain, heart, kidney, and spleen were also observed. These findings indicate that inorganic boron is absorbed very quickly (less than 1 hour after ingestion) and distributed unequally to different parts of the body. Technical Abstract: This report describes B absorption and distribution in blood and organs of adult rats previously fed a commercial diet [containing approx. 10 mg B/kg]. Male rats, fasted for 2 hr, were killed in groups of three at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 24 hr following B gavage (as boric acid, 0.15 mg/kg body wt); two rats, fasted for 2 hr, were killed without B gavage at 0 hr to serve as controls. At kill, blood, brain, heart, kidney, liver, spleen, testes, tibiae, and muscle were collected and kept at -24 deg C until analyzed for B. All organs were lyophilized, wet digested, and analyzed for B by using inductively coupled argon plasma emission spectroscopy. ANOVA and Dunnett's t-tests were used to determine whether B concentrations increased over time after B gavage. All organs showed increases in B concentration following B gavage, although the increases were significant only for blood, liver, testes, tibiae, and muscle. Blood and liver B concentrations peaked at 1 hr and slowly declined thereafter. Testes and tibial B concentrations peaked at 1 hr, remained relatively constant for 3 hr and 7 hr, respectively, and returned to the base concentrations at |
