A simple technique for the estimation of radioactive components of plasma after the administration of radioactive iodide

Abstract

The use of silver phosphate treatment and methanol pre-cipitation of plasma proteins is descr. for the rapid quantitative detn. of the relative proportions of thyroxine and iodide in plasma following the admn. of radioactive iodide. Methanol precipitation enables the proportion of radioactivity association with the plasma proteins which is not associated with thyroxine to be measured with facility. The findings in 3 patients treated with radioactive iodide were compared with the results of administering destructive doses of radioactive iodide to rats. In all instances the findings were corroborated by application of chro-matography and radioautography. Results suggest that metabolism of protein material from the thyroid gland, which appears in plasma after destructive doses of radiation, follows different pathways in man and rat.