CHROMIUM ACCUMULATION AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL-CHANGES IN THE MOUSE-LIVER CAUSED BY STAINLESS-STEEL CORROSION PRODUCTS

Citation
Ml. Pereira et al., CHROMIUM ACCUMULATION AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL-CHANGES IN THE MOUSE-LIVER CAUSED BY STAINLESS-STEEL CORROSION PRODUCTS, Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine, 6(9), 1995, pp. 523-527
Citations number
21
Categorie Soggetti
Polymer Sciences","Medicine Miscellaneus","Materials Science, Biomaterials
ISSN journal
09574530
Volume
6
Issue
9
Year of publication
1995
Pages
523 - 527
Database
ISI
SICI code
0957-4530(1995)6:9<523:CAAUIT>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
Stainless steel (SS) corrosion products were obtained by electrochemic al dissolution of SS type AISI 316L. Mice were injected subcutaneously with 0.5 mi of SS solution (containing 283 mu g Re, 69.3 mu g Cr and 57 mu g Ni) each 72 h, for 10 days or 14 days. After the treatment tim e, livers were removed and were analysed for: (a) liver wet weight; (b ) contents in Fe, Cr and Ni; (c) histological and ultrastructural alte rations. Results showed that the percentage of liver weight per animal body weight was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in SS-injected animal s than in the control animals. The atomic absorption spectrometry anal ysis of dry livers showed that chromium, but not iron or nickel, had a significant increase (p < 0.05) in SS-treated mice compared to the co ntrol animals. No histopathological differences between 10 and 14 days of SS-injection could be detected, however, massive hepatic degenerat ion was observed in both groups when compared to the control. These hi stological changes in SS-treated mice were confirmed at the ultrastruc tural level, as hepatocytes exhibited an augmentation of vacuoles in t heir cytoplasm. These actual liver morphological alterations suggest t hat the hepatocyte function may be hampered, which constitutes a matte r of some concern since liver is a blood filtering organ.