Rhodium(II)
acetate has been shown to have carcinostatic activity in Swiss mice bearing Ehrlich
ascites tumors. For metabolic studies, single therapeutic doses of
rhodium(II) [1-14C]
acetate that had been given i.p. implantations 3 days previously of 50-fold 10(6)
Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The tissue distribution and excretion of the
rhodium (measured by atomic absorption spectrometry) and the
acetate (measured by 14C label) were followed at designated time intervals up to 24 hr after injection.
Rhodium(II)
acetate, a neutral cage complex, breaks down to
rhodium and
acetate ionic species within 2 hr after i.p. injection, as measured by the rapid exhalation of 14CO2. Both the
rhodium and 14C label disappear rapidly from the
ascites fluid, with a small but variable amount of each species being incorporated into the
tumor cells. Both species were detected mainly in the blood plasma, and the primary organ of deposition was the liver. No measurable quantity of
rhodium was found in the brain tissue. During the first 24 hr following
drug administration, only 5%
rhodium was eliminated in the urine.