To date, there has been no effective therapy to counter incorporated radionuclides of strontium. In an endeavour to solve this problem, we have synthesized and evaluated various N,N'-disubstituted derivatives of 1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diaza-cyclooctadecane(crypt and 2.2) for their ability to mobilize 85Sr2+. These ligands are water soluble and have a relatively low acute i.v. toxicity, as demonstrated by their evaluation in rat and mouse. The di-sodium-calcium complex and tetra-sodium salt of the cryptand (2.2) dimalonate have exerted a remarkable decorporation effectiveness for 85Sr2+ in extracellular space. The tetra-potassium salt of the cryptand (2.2) dimalonate has a moderate effect, while no mobilization activity can be detected with the cryptand (2.2) that does not have a side chain substituent. Animals were initially given 85SrCl2 either i.p. or into the lung, then the compounds were administered 30-60 min later using an alternative route. The degree of decorporation achieved a 80-95% of the initial body burden (ibb) compared with the control values of 20-30%. The agents are resorbed easily from the lung, and the radiostrontium deposition in bone was inhibited strongly by a decorporation agent. The success of the treatment, however, is dependent upon the speed with which decorporation therapy commences.

The radioprotective agent WR-2721 is dephosphorylated to the free thiol form WR-1065 in vivo. The effects of WR-2721, WR-1065 and reduced glutathione on a mitochondrial lipid peroxidation system were compared. WR-2721 had no effect on mitochondrial lipid peroxidation in vitro, and could not prevent the inactivation of mitochondrial enzymes. Both WR-1065 and glutathione were effective inhibitors of mitochondrial lipid peroxidation induced by ADP/Fe/NADPH or by ADP/Fe/ascorbate. Both thiols correspondingly delayed the free radical-mediated inactivation of succinate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase. WR-1065 was able to reduce cumene hydroperoxide non-enzymatically, and proved to be weak substrate for glutathione peroxidase. The disulfide formed from WR-1065 could be reduced by glutathione without the participation of glutathione reductase. A redox cycle is proposed between WR-1065, glutathione and glutathione reductase to explain the inhibitory effect of WR-1065 on lipid peroxidation.

The degree of mitochondrial ADP/Fe/NADPH-induced lipid peroxidation was increased up to the fourth day after 9.0 Gy whole body gamma-irradiation. The lipid peroxidation inhibiting effect of succinate added to isolated mitochondria was diminished as a consequence of irradiation. The succinate, administered in vivo prior to irradiation, decreased the amount of malondialdehyde production and protected the succinate dehydrogenase enzyme against inactivation. The mean survival of succinate-pretreated animals was much longer than that of controls. The role of mitochondrial lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of radiation injury is discussed.

Succinate inhibits NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation of liver mitochondria. This effect of succinate decreased 12 h after whole-body 60Co-gamma irradiation, depending on the dose of irradiation.