Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mitigation of Acute Aluminum Toxicity by Sodium Selenite and N-Acetylcysteine in Adult Male Rats

  • Published:
Biological Trace Element Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the toxic effects of aluminum and the potential alleviation of selenite and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on this toxicity. Acute aluminum toxicity was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of AlCl3 (30 mg Al3+/kg) for four consecutive days. Al3+ damaged the synthetic capability and regeneration power of liver cells and induced inflammation. It also damaged the kidney and disturbed the lipid profile enhancing the total cholesterol level and LDL-cholesterol level increasing the risks of atherosclerosis. Al3+ reduced the cellular antioxidant milieu typified by the decrease in reduced glutathione, vitamin E, and four antioxidant enzymes and induced lipid peroxidation (LPO). Selenite at 1 mg Se/kg and NAC at 150 mg/kg injected either simultaneously with or after Al3+ mitigated most of these damaging effects probably by the virtue of scavenging the free radicals, binding aluminum and stimulating its excretion and reducing its bioavailability, bolstering the endogenous antioxidant defense systems, stabilizing the cell membrane, and preventing LPO. The beneficial effects of selenite and NAC against aluminum toxicity were also confirmed by the light and electron histopathology study. There were no significant differences between the two regimens used (protection and therapeutic) in the current study probably due to the short time of exposure, and the abrogation of Al3+ toxicity offered by selenite was better than that provided by NAC on the histopathology level.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Plate 1
Plate 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Greger JL (1992) Dietary and other sources of aluminium intake. Alum Biol Med 169:26–29

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Wilhelm M, Passlick J, Busch T, Szydlik M, Ohnesorge FK (1989) Scalp hair as an indicator of aluminium exposure: comparison to bone and plasma. Hum Toxicol 8:5–9

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Beyer LA, Greenberg G, Beck BD (2014) Evaluation of potential exposure to metals in laundered shop towels. Hum Ecol Risk Assess 20:111–136

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Luo H, Liu G, Zhang R, Bai Y, Fu S, Hou Y (2014) Heavy metal recovery combined with H 2 production from artificial acid mine drainage using the microbial electrolysis cell. J Hazard Mater 270:153–159

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Cheng D, Zhu C, Wang C, Xu H, Cao J, Jiang W (2014) Hepatoprotective effects of apple polyphenol extract on aluminum-induced liver oxidative stress in the rat. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 92:109–116

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Gorozhanskaia ÉG, Sviridova SP, Dobrovol’skaia MM, Zybrikhina GN, Kashnia S (2012) Selenium and oxidative stress in cancer patients. Biomed Khim 59:550–562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Anand R, Sharma DR, Verma D, Bhalla A, Gill KD, Singh S (2013) Mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes, catalase and markers of oxidative stress in platelets of patients with severe aluminum phosphide poisoning. Hum Exp Toxicol 32:807–816

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. El-Sayed WM, Aboul-Fadl T, Lamb JG, Roberts JC, Franklin MR (2006) Acute effects of novel selenazolidines on murine chemoprotective enzymes. Chem Biol Interact 162:31–42

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Sharma S, Raghuvanshi BS, Shukla S (2014) Toxic effects of lead exposure in rats: involvement of oxidative stress, genotoxic effect, and the beneficial role of N-acetylcysteine supplemented with selenium. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 33:19–32

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Aruoma OI, Halliwell B, Hoey BM, Butler J (1989) The antioxidant action of N-acetylcysteine: its reaction with hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, superoxide, and hypochlorous acid. Free Radic Biol Med 6:593–597

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Viezeliene D, Jansen E, Rodovicius H, Kasauskas A, Ivanov L (2011) Protective effect of selenium on aluminium-induced oxidative stress in mouse liver in vivo. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 31:302–306

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Horst A, Kolberg C, Moraes S, Riffel K, Finamor IA, Belló-Klein A, Pavanato MA, Partata WA (2014) Effect of N-acetylcysteine on the spinal-cord glutathione system and nitric-oxide metabolites in rats with neuropathic pain. Neurosci Lett 569:163–168

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. El-Sayed WM, Al-Kahtani MA, Abdel-Moneim AM (2011) Prophylactic and therapeutic effects of taurine against aluminum-induced acute hepatotoxicity in mice. J Hazard Mater 192:880–886

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Yoshioka T, Kawada K, Shimada T, Mori M (1979) Lipid peroxidation in maternal and cord blood and protective mechanism against activated-oxygen toxicity in the blood. Am J Obstet Gynecol 135:372–376

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Beutler E, Kelly BM (1963) The effect of sodium nitrite on red cell GSH. Cell. Mol Life Sci 19:96–97

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Aebi H (1984) Catalase in vitro. Methods Enzymol 105:121–126

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Paglia DE, Valentine WN (1967) Studies on the quantitative and qualitative characterization of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase. Transl Res 70:158–169

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Masayasu M, Hiroshi Y (1979) A simplified assay method of superoxide dismutase activity for clinical use. Clin Chim Acta 92:337–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Habig WH, Pabst MJ, Fleischner G, Gatmaitan Z, Arias IM, Jakoby WB (1974) The identity of glutathione S-transferase B with ligandin, a major binding protein of liver. PNAS 71:3879–3882

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Smirnoff N, Cumbes QJ (1989) Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of compatible solutes. Phytochemistry 28:1057–1060

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Blois MS (1958) Antioxidant determinations by the use of a stable free radical. Nature 181:1199–1200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kumar V, Bal A, Gill KD (2009) Aluminium-induced oxidative DNA damage recognition and cell-cycle disruption in different regions of rat brain. Toxicology 264:137–144

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Periasamy VS, Athinarayanan J, Alshatwi AA (2015) Aluminum oxide nanoparticles alter cell cycle progression through CCND1 and EGR1 gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cells. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 63:320–327

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Kalimeris K, Briassoulis P, Ntzouvani A, Nomikos T, Papaparaskeva K, Politi A, Batistaki C, Kostopanagiotou G (2016) N-acetylcysteine ameliorates liver injury in a rat model of intestinal ischemia reperfusion. J Surg Res 206:263–272

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Nido SA, Shituleni SA, Mengistu BM, Liu Y, Khan AZ, Gan F, Kumbhar S, Huang K (2016) Effects of selenium-enriched probiotics on lipid metabolism, antioxidative status, histopathological lesions, and related gene expression in mice fed a high-fat diet. Biol Trace Elem Res 171:399–409

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. El-serougy E, Ahmed HH, Kamal MM, Niazy MH (2015) The neuropeptide adrenomedullin, could it be linked to renal involvement and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus? Egypt Rheumatol 37:19–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Sivakumar S, Sivasubramanian J, Khatiwada CP, Manivannan J, Raja B (2013) Determination of aluminium induced metabolic changes in mice liver: a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study, Spectrochim. Acta Part A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 110:241–248

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Liu Y, Wang Y, Walsh TR, Yi L, Zhang R, Spencer J, Doi Y, Tian G, Dong B, Huang X (2016) Emergence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mechanism MCR-1 in animals and human beings in China: a microbiological and molecular biological study. Lancet Infect Dis 16:161–168

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Block CA, Manning HL (2002) Prevention of acute renal failure in the critically ill. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 165:320–324

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Mailloux RJ, Lemire J, Appanna VD (2011) Hepatic response to aluminum toxicity: dyslipidemia and liver diseases. Exp Cell Res 317:2231–2238

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Menéndez-Carreño M, Ansorena D, Milagro FI, Campión J, Martínez JA, Astiasarán I (2008) Inhibition of serum cholesterol oxidation by dietary vitamin C and selenium intake in high fat fed rats. Lipids 43:383–390

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Machado JT, Iborra RT, Fusco FB, Castilho G, Pinto RS, Machado-Lima A, Nakandakare ER, Seguro AC, Shimizu MH, Catanozi S (2014) N-acetylcysteine prevents endoplasmic reticulum stress elicited in macrophages by serum albumin drawn from chronic kidney disease rats and selectively affects lipid transporters, ABCA-1 and ABCG-1. Atherosclerosis 237:343–352

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Korou LM, Agrogiannis G, Koros C, Kitraki E, Vlachos IS, Tzanetakou I, Karatzas T, Pergialiotis V, Dimitroulis D, Perrea DN (2014) Impact of N-acetylcysteine and sesame oil on lipid metabolism and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis homeostasis in middle-aged hypercholesterolemic mice. Sci Rep 4:6806–6813

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Nehru B, Anand P (2005) Oxidative damage following chronic aluminium exposure in adult and pup rat brains. J Trace Elem Med Biol 19:203–208

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Exley C (2004) The pro-oxidant activity of aluminum. Free Radic Biol Med 36:380–387

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Kerksick C, Willoughby D (2005) The antioxidant role of glutathione and N-acetyl-cysteine supplements and exercise-induced oxidative stress. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2:38–44

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Abubakar MG, Taylor A, Ferns GAA (2003) Aluminium administration is associated with enhanced hepatic oxidant stress that may be offset by dietary vitamin E in the rat. Int J Exp Pathol 84:49–54

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Aslanturk A, Uzunhisarcikli M, Kalender S, Demir F (2014) Sodium selenite and vitamin E in preventing mercuric chloride induced renal toxicity in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 70:185–190

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Fernández V, Vargas R, Castillo V, Cádiz N, Bastías D, Román S, Tapia G, Videla LA (2013) Reestablishment of ischemia-reperfusion liver injury by N-acetylcysteine administration prior to a preconditioning iron protocol. Sci World J 2013:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Baatrup E, Ole TU, Nielsen HL, Wilsky K (1989) Mercury-selenium interactions in relation to histochemical staining of mercury in the rat liver. Histochem J 21:89–98

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority, Petroleum Ministry, Cairo, Egypt

    Naglaa H. Nour-Eldein

  2. Department of Biochemistry, National Institute of Nutrition, Cairo, Egypt

    El-Sayed A. Hassanin

  3. Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, University of Ain Shams, Abbassia, Cairo, 11566, Egypt

    Wael M. El-Sayed

Authors
  1. Naglaa H. Nour-Eldein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. El-Sayed A. Hassanin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wael M. El-Sayed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wael M. El-Sayed.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nour-Eldein, N.H., Hassanin, ES.A. & El-Sayed, W.M. Mitigation of Acute Aluminum Toxicity by Sodium Selenite and N-Acetylcysteine in Adult Male Rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 183, 128–137 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-017-1126-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-017-1126-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation