ALUMINUM DEPOSITION IN LIVER AND KIDNEY FOLLOWING ACUTE INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION OF ALUMINUM-CHLORIDE OR CITRATE IN CONSCIOUS RATS

1 Plasma, urinary, liver and kidney cell aluminium (Al) levels were mo nitored in the rat, Ih after intravenous administration of 29630 nmol (800 mu g) Al as either Al chloride or as Al citrate (Al chloride plus excess sodium citrate). Al levels were measured in plasma, urine and liver by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Liver and kidney Al con tent was measured at the cellular and subcellular level by electron pr obe X-ray microanalysis (EPXMA). 2 Urinary excretion of Al was signifi cantly higher (P < 0.01), when Al was given as the citrate than as the chloride. After Ih, plasma Al levels were significantly lower in the Al citrate group than the Al chloride group (59 +/- 3.7 vs 877 +/- 214 nmol ml(-1), respectively; P < 0.01). 3 Al concentrations were signif icantly higher in the livers of rats receiving Al chloride (818 +/- 25 2 nmol g(-1) wet weight; P < 0.05), than in either control or Al citra te groups (122 +/- 41 and 107 +/- 26 nmol g(-1) wet weight, respective ly). Al concentrations derived from EPXMA measurements were in agreeme nt with AAS values for the three groups, with significantly higher Al concentrations in the AZ chloride group (1.7 +/- 0.4 nmol mg(-1) dry w eight; P < 0.05) than in the control or Al citrate groups, where Al wa s not detectable. EPXMA analysis showed that Al was distributed in all liver organelles analysed (cytoplasm, mitochondria, nucleus, ER) and was not preferentially taken up by any one organelle in Al chloride tr eated rats. 4 Significant amounts of Al were found in cytoplasm and mi tochondria of proximal tubule cells of rats given Al citrate (0.64 +/- 0.15 and 0.80 +/- 0.11 nmol mg(-1) dry weight, respectively), but not in nuclei or lysosomes of these cells. Al levels were not detectable in control kidneys, in proximal tubule cells after Al chloride adminis tration or distal tubule cells after either Al treatment.