Biokinetic model of radium in humans and beagles

A compartmental model of the distribution of radium in humans and young adult beagle dogs (approximately 500-550 d) is presented. The model consists of one soft tissue compartment and seven skeletal compartments for humans, and five skeletal compartments for beagles. The number of transfer parameters to be estimated was reduced by using remodeling rates of bone and imposing several constraints deduced from known features of bone physiology, radium metabolism, and autoradiographic analyses. The model predictions are in good agreement with measured retentions in plasma, whole body, skeleton, and soft tissues of both species. Moreover, for beagles even the retention in individual bones can be predicted quite well if the relevant morphometric parameters are known. While some of the estimated transfer parameters are similar in both species, others differ by an order of magnitude or more. Wherever possible, a comparison of model parameters with those of previous models is given. The new model not only is instrumental for calculating local doses in the skeleton but also can be used for characterizing the microdistribution of radium in this organ.