A reactor accident, an incident at a nuclear facility or contaminated food: Radioactive substances can enter the human body. But what exactly happens in our organs? And how can we get rid of these dangerous intruders? A research team from the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) has now systematically investigated these questions for the first time.
The focus is on americium and curium. Both elements are produced during the use of nuclear energy. They are both radioactive and toxic. If they enter the body via contaminated food, they are deposited in the liver, bones and kidneys. There they cause double damage. Once as chemical toxins and through their radiation. The study was published in the journal "Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety".
Which antidote really helps
There are special drugs to prevent poisoning with radioactive substances. They are called decorporation agents and are designed to bind the dangerous elements and flush them out of the body. The researchers compared two such agents: DTPA and LIHOPO. Both have fundamentally different effects.
DTPA prevents americium from entering the cells in the first place. LIHOPO, on the other hand, penetrates the cells with the bound americium. That sounds worse at first. But this could be the decisive advantage. Under the conditions of the laboratory tests, this led to a higher uptake into the cells. In the human body, however, these compounds could help to release and remove americium that has already been stored. "LIHOPO has the potential to mobilize americium already stored in cells, whereas DTPA can only bind americium circulating in the bloodstream," explains Christian Senwitz, former doctoral student at the Chair of Radiochemistry/Radioecology at TUD.
These findings will help to develop better treatments after radiation accidents and improve radiation protection overall. Research that will hopefully never be needed. But which can save lives when it counts.
Publication:
Heller, A. and Senwitz, C. et al. (2025): Am/Cm(III) and DTPA/LIHOPO interactions with renal cells in vitro studied by bioassays, luminescence spectroscopy, and microdosimetry. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 307, 119445.
