Pattern of Distribution of Fluoride in Young and Old Albino Rats

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Baylor University College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas

Adult young and old albino rats were furnished fluoride via drinking water, and the pattern of distribution of the ingested fluoride in body tissues was compared. The young animals retained in the whole carcass a greater percentage of the administered fluoride, and the increased storage was in skeletal tissues. The older animals, while retaining less fluoride in the whole carcass, had proportionately more fluoride deposited in kidney, liver, and heart, in that order, than in young animals. These studies suggested that, while increased excretion tended to compensate for decreased skeletal retention in old animals, their soft tissues retained more fluoride than did the soft tissues of younger animals.