PERFLUOROCARBON DISTRIBUTION TO LIVER, LUNG AND SPLEEN OF EMULSIONS OF PERFLUOROTRIBUTYLAMINE (FTBA) IN PIGS AND RATS AND PERFLUOROOCTYL BROMIDE (PFOB) IN RATS AND DOGS BY F-19 NMR-SPECTROSCOPY

Perfluorocarbon emulsion (FCE) particles are reported to be taken up b y the reticuloendothelial system (RES) and ultimately eliminated by th e lung. This distribution provides an opportunity to measure oxygen pa rtial pressure in vivo with fluorine -19 magnetic resonance imaging (F -19 MRI). Since the MR image signal-to-noise ratio is directly proport ional to the fluorine concentration in the tissue, a greater concentra tion of perfluorocarbon (PFC) in the tissue will result in a greater c onfidence in the oxygen image and reduce measurement time. it was post ulated that the biodistribution of PFC administered in emulsion form m ay depend on species RES or FCE composition. The distribution of an em ulsion (Oxypherol(TM)-E.T.) containing perfluorotributylamine (FTBA) 5 days after administration to pigs (11 g FTBA/kg body weight i.p.) and rats (19 g FTBA/kg i.p.) and an emulsion (Oxygent(TM)) containing per fluorooctyl bromide (PFOB) 7 days after administration to dogs (11 g P FOB/kg i.v.) and 5 days after administrations to rats (19 g PFOB/kg i. p.) was analyzed by F-19 NMR spectroscopy of tissue samples. PFC conce ntrations in spleen are 2 to 3 times those in liver. This pattern appe ars to be independent of PFC emulsion or species. In contrast, lung PF C content was less than that in the liver and showed a dependence upon both species and PFC emulsion.