Uptake, Absorption in Plants, Animals, and Humans

Uptake, Absorption, Transport and Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination in Plants, Animals, and Humans 

Uptake and distribution of gallium in organisms appears to be influenced by binding to at least three iron-binding molecules. 

The elimination of gallium from rats is rapid, with excretion occurring primarily via the urinary route during the first 24 h after treatment. Fecal elimination appears not to result from biliary excretion, but seems to occur via passage of gallium across the gastric wall from the blood into the stomach (Maurel et al. 1974). After intravenous injection in humans, 25-60% of the dose is excreted in the urine within the first 24 h, but subsequent excretion occurs more slowly via the bowel (Krakoff et al. 1979, Hoffer 1980). In a human subject injected with a gallium isotope, 10% of the dose was excreted within 13 days (Priest et al. 

Following subcutaneous injection of gallium lactate (90-100 mg Ga kg ) in rabbits, 96% of the excreted gallium dose was found in the urine (Dudley etal. 1949). Approximately 40% of a gallium dose appeared in the urine of dogs 24 h after intravenous injection of gallium citrate (5 mg Ga kg ) (Dudley and Marrer 1952). 

In contrast, following pulmonary exposure of rats to GaAs, gallium excretion was primarily limited to the fecal route (Webb et al. 1984). 

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