Reduction of 141Ce absorption in suckling rats

The influence of diet or its ingredients on 141Ce absorption and retention was investigated in six-day-old rats. Animals were fed over 8h with cow's milk, rat diet or a mixture of rat diet ingredients (fish meal, sunflower meal, alfalfa, cane molasses and premix) labelled with 141Ce. Whole-body radioactivity was determined in a double crystal scintillation counter every 24 h over a six-day period. Gut, liver, kidney and femur retention and cerium distribution in the gut was determined at the end of the experiment. Compared to milk diet, administration of rat diet or ingredients caused respectively 3 and 7.5 times lower whole body retention. Carcass retention was reduced by rat diet or ingredients 2-3 times and intestinal retention 3 and 8 times respectively. Irrespective of the dietary treatment the main site of cerium intestinal retention was the ileum. Our present results indicate that some compounds of rat diet might be considered as a means of reducing cerium absorption and intestinal retention in the very young.