PNNL

Abstract

Nano-engineered solid sorbents for chelation of actinides (239Pu, 241Am, uranium, thorium) from human blood were developed and evaluated in vitro. These sorbents, known as the self-assembled monolayer on mesoporous supports (SAMMSTM), are hybrid materials created from attachment of organic moieties onto extremely high surface area mesoporous silica. The organic moieties known to be effective at capturing actinides including three isomers of hydroxypyridinone, diphosphonic acid, acetamide phosphonic acid, glycinyl urea, and diethylenetriamine pentaacetate analog were evaluated. SAMMS are being reported elsewhere as potential candidates for orally administered drug for radionuclide decorporation. Herein, actinide decorporation of SAMMS in blood were evaluated to assess their viability for sorbent hemoperfusion in renal insufficient patients, whose kidney clear radionuclides at very slow rate. Sorption affinity (Kd), sorption rate, selectivity, and stability of SAMMS were measured in batch contact experiments. An isomer of hydroxypyridinone (3,4-HOPO) on SAMMS demonstrated the highest affinity for decorporation of all four actinides and outperformed the DTPA analog on SAMMS and on commercial resins by a factor of 103-fold in term of affinity. A fifty percent reduction of actinides in blood was achieved within minutes with no evidence of protein fouling and material leaching in blood after 24 hr of contact time. Less than 0.4 wt.% of Si was dissolved from 3,4-HOPO-SAMMS across the pH of 0 to 8. The engineered form of SAMMS (bead format) was further evaluated in a 100-fold scaled-down hemoperfusion device and showed no blood clotting after 2 hr. A 0.2 g of SAMMS could reduce 50 wt.% of 100 ppb uranium in 50 mL of plasma in just 18 min and that of 500 dpm mL-1 in just 24 min. 3,4-HOPO-SAMMS has a long shelf-life in air and at room temperature for at least 8 years, indicating their feasibility for stockpiling in preparedness for emergency.