EFFECT OF THE RADIOACTIVE WATERS ON THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OF TISSUES (6 th Report)

Abstract

In the previous reports, using Warburg's apparatus, the author proved that Thoron inhibits oxygen consumption of erythrocytes, of the liver, kidney, and brain homogenates of grown-up rabbits and that this inhibition is reversible. After hemolysis of erythrocytes by adding distilled water or after centrifuging the homogenates of the liver, kidney, and brain, their oxygen consumption decreased outstandingly and then inhibition by Thoron became hardly proved.
Then using a mineral water of the “Spring Dairokuten” of Masutomi (Rn: 837×10^-9-739×10^-9 curies/1), effect of the natural radioactive water on tissue oxygen consumption was investigated when the mineral water was mixed with the suspension in Ringer's solution of the human erythrocytes or homogenates of the liver, kidney, and brain of rabbits.
The fresh mineral water of Masutomi depressed oxygen consumption of human erythrocytes and the brain homogenate of rabbits, but it accelerated oxygen consumption of the liver and kidney of rabbits.
The aged mineral water of Masutomi, which lost its radioactivity by storing over a month, promoted the oxygen consumption of the human erythrocytes and of the liver and kidney of rabbits, but it decreased the oxygen consumption of the brain.
Then an artificial mineral water was made up after the analytical table of Masutomi mineral water. And effect of the artificial mineral water on the oxygen consumption of the liver, kidney, and brain homogenates of rabbits were studies with the same method as above.
The artificial mineral water without iron and radon showed a decrease of oxygen consumption of the liver, kidney, and brain homogenates. However, the artificial mineral water, of which only radioactive components are excluded, accelerated oxygen consumption of the liver and kidney homogenates of rabbits, but it decreased the oxygen consumption of brain.
In the present study, effect of the internal use of a natural radioactive water on tissue oxygen consumption was studied. Grown-up rabbits were given daily 10ml per kg body weight of Masutomi mineral water for five months.
The administration of the radioactive mineral water produced a decrease of -42.6%, -19.6%, -5.1%, and -49.7% respectively in the oxygen consumption of the liver, kidney, brain, and bone marrow of rabbits at the end of 5 months.
The oxygen consumption of the bone marrow of rabbits, to which Hontanikawa river water was given with same method as above, was also reduced to -27.1% of the control without drinking.
As river water of Hontani contains only minor amount of radioactive element (Rn: 1.27×10^-10 curies/1), the above-mentioned decrease in the oxygen consumption of the bone marrow, kidney, and liver can not be attributed to the effect of radioactive agents in the mineral water alone.
Prolonged administration of stored mineral water of Masutomi (10ml to rabbits daily) produced no apparent inhibition of tissue oxygen consumption.