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Mechanisms of aluminium neurotoxicity in oxidative stress-induced ...

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CHAPTER 2<br />

significant <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>of</strong> the metal concentration <strong>in</strong> the ventral midbra<strong>in</strong>, i.p.<br />

adm<strong>in</strong>istration led to a decrease <strong>in</strong> <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> concentration <strong>in</strong> this cerebral region. In<br />

our op<strong>in</strong>ion, this curious observation could be related to the specific composition <strong>of</strong> this<br />

area and the reported ability <strong>of</strong> <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> to change the permeability <strong>of</strong> plasma<br />

membranes <strong>in</strong> function <strong>of</strong> their particular composition (Silva et al. 2002).<br />

112<br />

Our results clearly show that <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> accumulation <strong>in</strong> the bra<strong>in</strong> not only<br />

varied with the adm<strong>in</strong>istration route used but also <strong>in</strong> its distribution <strong>in</strong> the dist<strong>in</strong>ct bra<strong>in</strong><br />

areas. Evidently, both the presence <strong>of</strong> citric acid <strong>in</strong> the oral dose <strong>of</strong> <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> and the<br />

difference <strong>in</strong> the time <strong>of</strong> treatment also could contribute to the reported differences.<br />

However, <strong>in</strong> view <strong>of</strong> the reported variance <strong>in</strong> <strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> distribution <strong>in</strong> different<br />

cerebral regions follow<strong>in</strong>g both treatments, it can be argued that the effects <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> cannot be generalized to the whole bra<strong>in</strong> and a study <strong>of</strong> the k<strong>in</strong>etics <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>alum<strong>in</strong>ium</strong> distribution <strong>in</strong> specific cerebral areas is necessary to understand the<br />

<strong>neurotoxicity</strong> <strong>of</strong> this metal and its contribution to a particular neurological disorder.<br />

Acknowledgments<br />

This study was supported by the Xunta de Galicia (Santiago, Spa<strong>in</strong>; Grant<br />

PGIDIT03PXIB20804PR).

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