Toxicity and aluminium concentration in bone following dietary administration of two sodium aluminium phosphate formulations in rats

The effects of dietary administration of the basic sodium aluminium phosphates, KASAL and KASAL II, were examined in male rats. Aluminium levels in bone were determined in order to estimate the possible aluminium deposition by these compounds. Groups of 25 male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed control diet or diets containing 30,000 ppm KASAL, 7000 or 30,000 ppm KASAL II, or 14,470 ppm aluminium hydroxide for 28 days. The mean daily aluminium doses were calculated to be 5, 141, 67, 288 or 302 mg/kg body weight/day, respectively. Neither form of KASAL induced detectable toxicity. No adverse treatment-related clinical signs were observed. Body weights and food consumptions were similar in treated and control groups. No toxicologically significant changes were observed in haematology, clinical chemistry parameters or organ weights. No treatment-related changes were observed at autopsy or in histopathological examination of collected tissues. Femurs collected at autopsy under conditions free of aluminium contamination showed no significant deposition of aluminium after dietary administration of KASAL, KASAL II or aluminium hydroxide. All aluminium values in bone were less than 1 ppm and most values were not quantifiable. Thus, dietary administration of up to 30,000 ppm of either of the basic sodium aluminium phosphate formulations caused neither toxicity nor significant deposition of aluminium in femur.