Aluminium interaction with 67Ga uptake by human plasma and transferrin

To investigate the possible uptake of aluminium by plasma proteins, the Group IIIB element gallium (67Ga) was used as an analogue. Gel filtration confirmed that plasma bound 67Ga in the transferrin region, and this effect could be reproduced using pure transferrin. Approximately 75%, of 67Ga could be displaced by 10 mumol/l aluminium in the buffer. Equilibrium dialysis with samples of plasma, transferrin and albumin (BSA), showed that uptake of 67Ga by plasma or transferrin was systematically inhibited by increasing concentration of aluminium in the range found in dialysis fluid while uptake by albumin was negligible. The results suggest that transferrin plays an important role in aluminium uptake during haemodialysis.