Effect of citrate on plasma aluminium concentration and aluminium excretion in the rat

1. Plasma aluminium concentration and urinary aluminium excretion were monitored for 4.5 h in rats after the administration of 25 micrograms or 800 micrograms of aluminium as an intravenous bolus, either as aluminium chloride or as aluminium citrate (i.e. aluminium chloride together with sodium citrate). 2. Immediately after the bolus aluminium administration, the plasma aluminium concentration was higher in the groups given aluminium chloride than in those which received aluminium citrate, although the difference was significant (P < 0.05) only for the 25 micrograms dose. This difference between aluminium chloride and citrate indicates that the citrate form has a higher volume of distribution (i.e. is able to leave the plasma). The calculated volume of distribution for the 25 micrograms of aluminium chloride (17.5 ml) was similar to the plasma volume of the rats used (15 ml). 3. In experiments in vitro, the ultrafilterability of aqueous solutions of aluminium chloride and aluminium citrate were compared. Only 1.05 +/- 0.09% of the aluminium chloride solution was ultrafilterable (aluminium concentration 28,200 +/- 730 ng/ml), whereas 97.3 +/- 2.4% of the aluminium citrate was ultrafilterable (aluminium concentration 42,000 +/- 370 ng/ml). When the filterability of aluminium in plasma was examined, the aluminium chloride ultrafilterability was identical with that in aqueous solution (1.06 +/- 0.13%, aluminium concentration 19,800 +/- 2956 ng/ml), but the aluminium citrate was 79.8 +/- 7.1% ultrafilterable (aluminium concentration 10,125 +/- 591 ng/ml).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)