ACCUMULATION OF ALUMINUM IN RAT-LIVER - ASSOCIATION WITH CONSTITUENTS OF THE CYTOSOL

Aluminium (Al) accumulation occurs in the liver of renal patients and in patients on parenteral nutrition. Human hepatotoxicity is not proven. The role of the liver in storage and biotransformation of Al and in development of osteo- and neurotoxicity is not clarified as yet. The aim of the present investigation was to study the storage of Al in total liver and in subcellular liver fractions, and its association with soluble cytosolic molecular species. Therefore, rats were loaded with Al prior to liver fractionation by ultracentrifugation, and equilibrium gel filtration chromatography of the cytosol, using a previously described method for Al speciation in serum. Al accumulated dose-dependently in liver and subcellular liver fractions, the lowest levels occurring in the cytosol. A dose-dependent elevation of Al in the blood was also observed. Gelfiltration of the cytosol indicated that Al was associated with a low molecular weight form which was not a citrate complex, and a high molecular weight form, which was larger than transferrin. No induction of and association with metallothionein occurred.