Mechanisms of aluminium neurotoxicity in oxidative stress-induced ...
Mechanisms of aluminium neurotoxicity in oxidative stress-induced ...
Mechanisms of aluminium neurotoxicity in oxidative stress-induced ...
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MATERIALS AND METHODS<br />
Chemicals<br />
CHAPTER 2<br />
Nitric acid 69% Hiperpur� from Panreac SA (Barcelona, Spa<strong>in</strong>) was used to<br />
perform microwave digestions. H2O2 30% Suprapur� and a dogfish muscle DORM-2<br />
certified reference material were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, FRG) and from the<br />
National Research Council (Otawa, Canada), respectively. Argon N50 (99.999% purity)<br />
was used as a sheath gas for the atomizer and to purge <strong>in</strong>ternally. Alum<strong>in</strong>ium chloride<br />
hexahydrate was purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA). The water<br />
used for the preparations <strong>of</strong> solutions was <strong>of</strong> 18.2 M� (Milli-RiOs/Q-A10 grade,<br />
Millipore Corp., Bedford, MA, USA). All rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g chemicals used were <strong>of</strong> analytical<br />
grade and were purchased from Fluka Chemie AG (Buchs, Switzerland).<br />
Animal treatment<br />
Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were used <strong>in</strong> this study. All<br />
experiments were performed <strong>in</strong> accordance with the NIH publication “Pr<strong>in</strong>ciples <strong>of</strong><br />
laboratory animal care” and approved by the Ethics Committee <strong>of</strong> the University <strong>of</strong><br />
Santiago de Compostela. Animals were randomly divided <strong>in</strong>to four experimental group:<br />
the first group was daily i.p. <strong>in</strong>jected with <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> chloride (Sigma Chemical Co.) <strong>in</strong><br />
sal<strong>in</strong>e (0.9% NaCl) at a dose <strong>of</strong> 10 mg <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong>/kg/day (pH 4) for one week. The<br />
second group was i.p. <strong>in</strong>jected with sal<strong>in</strong>e over the same period. The third group was<br />
given orally 25 mg <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong>/kg/day and 89 mg citric acid/kg/day <strong>in</strong> sal<strong>in</strong>e for one<br />
week. After this period, <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> and citric acid doses were <strong>in</strong>creased to 50<br />
mg/kg/day and 178 mg/kg/day, respectively, for one more week. F<strong>in</strong>ally, doses were<br />
adjusted to 100 mg <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong>/kg/day and 356 mg citric acid/kg/day for two additional<br />
weeks. Citric acid was added to enhance the gastro<strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>al absorption <strong>of</strong> <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong><br />
(Gómez et al. 1999). The fourth group was given sal<strong>in</strong>e orally dur<strong>in</strong>g the entire<br />
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