EFFECTS OF DISCONTINUATION OF CHRONIC LITHIUM ADMINISTRATION ON TISSUE LITHIUM LEVELS IN RAT

Lithium has been shown to have a potential role in the treatment of AI DS and the LP-BM5 (MAIDS) animal model of AIDS. Twenty rats were dosed with 10 mM lithium chloride in drinking water and sacrificed by group s after discontinuation of lithium over several days. Tissues were ana lysed by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Lithium is los t rapidly from all tissues on discontinuation of administration and al l tissues examined demonstrated a highly significant decrease in the i nitial 24 h (f < 0.006, p < 0.0001, unpaired t-test). Lithium is lost rapidly from both kidney, bone and adrenals, tissues which we have pre viously reported as accumulating relatively high lithium concentration s. A fraction of lithium is retained in tissues. The rate of loss of l ithium from tissues is slower in tissues known to be involved in immun e functions against the MAIDS (LP-BM5 MuLV) virus. Thymus levels showe d no significant decreases in lithium content from day 2 through to da y 4 of discontinuation (f > 0.1, p > 0.25, Mann-Whitney U test).