Actinide Transport Across Cell Membranes

Protactinium uptake into the normal liver does not exceed 3%, but when the phospholipid levels in the liver are elevated by administration of thioacetamide this uptake increases to 31%. Phosphatidic acid, which is absent from the normal liver, has been shown to extract protactinium into organic solvents. However, phosphatidylserine, a component of normal liver cell membranes, does not extract protactinium. It might be conjectured that this is why so little protactinium is taken up by the normal liver. The hypothesis is advanced that phosphatidylserine, which is known to complex plutonium, americium and curium, may regulate the uptake of these elements by liver.