SENSITIVE DETECTION OF TRACE ALUMINUM IN BIOLOGICAL TISSUES BY CONFOCAL LASER-SCANNING MICROSCOPY AFTER STAINING WITH LUMOGALLION

This paper describes a method for the sensitive detection of aluminium in biological tissues by real time confocal laser scanning microscopy after staining with lumogallion. The method enabled detection of alum inium greater than or equal to 9 mu g g(-1) in bone and is more sensit ive than the conventional histochemical methods with aluminon and solo chrome azurine, etc. Lumogallion reacts specifically with aluminium to form a fluorescent complex so that the proposed method is useful for detection and identification of aluminium in tissues.