Accumulation of Aluminium in Rat Liver: Association with Constituents of the Cytosol

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Abstract
Aluminium (A1) 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 A1 and in development of osteo‐ and neurotoxicity is not clarified as yet. The aim of the present investigation was to study the storage of A1 in total liver and in subcellular liver fractions, and its association with soluble cytosolic molecular species. Therefore, rats were loaded with A1 prior to liver fractionation by ultracentrifugation, and equilibrium gel filtration chromatography of the cytosol, using a previously described method for A1 speciation in serum. A1 accumulated dose‐dependently in liver and subcellular liver fractions, the lowest levels occurring in the cytosol. A dose‐dependent elevation of A1 in the blood was also observed. Gelfiltration of the cytosol indicated that A1 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.