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Abstract:
Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), in either H-, Zn- or Ca-form, is a complexing agent that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the decorporation of radioactive actinides such as americium, curium, and plutonium following a radiological incident. However, DTPA is excreted rapidly from the body following administration, which limits its ability in removing intracellularly bound actinides. In this research project, DTPA loaded polyethylene glycol (PEG) functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles, Zn-DTPA encapsulated poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), and Zn-DTPA encapsulated lecithin liposomes were tested for extended release of DTPA in vitro. Furthermore, the toxicity of Zn-DTPA encapsulated lecithin liposomes has been confirmed to be nontoxic in the cytotoxicity study of Long Evans rats. Meanwhile, the efficacy of Zn-DTPA encapsulated liposomes in the decorporation of 241Am, 243/244Cm, and 238/239/240Pu from their lungs after intranasal administration is under evaluation.