Effect of chronic aluminum exposure on the levels of conjugated dienes and enzymatic antioxidants in hippocampus and whole brain of rat
- Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow (India)
The reported association between elevated tissue levels of aluminum (Al) and certain human neurological disorders have evoked increasing attention on the neurotoxic effects of aluminum. High levels of Al have been reported in hippocampal neurons comprising neurofibrillary tangles in senile dementia of Alzheimer`s type, amyotropic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonian dementia of Guam. Aluminum is considered to be the causal factor for a high incidence of dialysis encephalopathy. It has been shown that the incidence of Alzheimer`s disease was higher in places with a high Al content in drinking water compared to low level areas. Varied uses of Al in pharmaceutical preparations, foods, water purification and many house-hold items have increased the risk of its exposure to general population. The exposure may be as high as 500 mg/kg/day in children with uremia who are treated with Al containing phosphate binding gels. Aluminum ingestion in humans and experimental animals have been reported to produce behavioural dysfunctions. The mechanism of al neurotoxicity is not understood at present. Attempts made in this direction have reported its interaction with blood-brain barrier function, decreased membrane fluidity, glutathione depletion and increased brain lipid peroxidation. These studies indicate the possibility that oxidative stress may be one of the possible mechanisms of Al-induced neurotoxicity. Since Al has been reported to be in high concentrations in hippocampal neurons in certain neurological diseases and there is wealth of evidence implicating hippocampal impairment and memory dysfunction, we attempted to investigate the effect of chronic Al intoxication on the status of enzymatic antioxidants and the extent of peroxidative damage in hippocampus and whole brain of rat. 16 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 135901
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 55, Issue 5; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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