Related Experiment Videos
Evidence for a hydroxy-aluminium polymer (Al13) in synaptosomes
1Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India.
FEBS Letters
|October 12, 1992
Summary
The hydroxy-aluminium polymer (Al13) was detected within synaptosomes using 27Al NMR. A shift reagent, dysprosium nitrate, aided in identifying this aluminum species inside brain cells.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Aluminum (Al) is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.
- Understanding aluminum's interaction with biological systems, like synaptosomes, is crucial.
- The specific forms of aluminum within cells remain largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detect and identify aluminum species within synaptosomes.
- To investigate the in situ formation of aluminum polymers in a neuronal context.
- To utilize advanced NMR techniques for characterizing intracellular aluminum.
Main Methods:
- Incubation of isolated synaptosomes with aluminum nitrate (Al(NO3)3) at neutral pH.
- Utilizing dysprosium nitrate (Dy(NO3)3) as a shift reagent for NMR analysis.
- Employing 27Al Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to detect aluminum species.
Main Results:
- The hydroxy-aluminium polymer, specifically the Al13-(OH)24O4(H2O)12(7+) species, was identified within synaptosomes.
- Dysprosium nitrate facilitated the distinct detection of the Al13 species inside the synaptosomes.
- 27Al NMR successfully detected the Al13 complex both intracellularly and extracellularly.
Conclusions:
- Synaptosomes can internalize and form specific hydroxy-aluminum polymers under physiological conditions.
- The Al13 species represents a significant form of aluminum present within neuronal compartments.
- 27Al NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying aluminum speciation in complex biological samples.