Aluminum exposure: a study of an effect on cellular growth rate

Aluminum effects on cultured human brain cells were examined. Human brain c ells (neuroblastoma IMR-32) were cultured to examine possible effects of so luble aluminum at a cellular level. The cellular growth rate was measured b y counting the number of cells with a hemocytometer under an optical micros cope over a period of time. No significant change in cell growth was found during a three-week exposure period to aluminum at concentrations from 0.1 to 10 mg/l. However, after 3 weeks Al started to reduce the growth rate rel ative to the control, and the decrease became more pronounced as the exposu re period to aluminum increased. The effect was greatest at the higher Al-c oncentration. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.