Chronic effect of aluminium ingestion on bone in calcium-deficient rats

In order to elucidate the relationship of osteogenesis with aluminum and iron deposition, we investigated the histopathological findings of bone in calcium and/or aluminium-deficient rats, together with levels of calcium, aluminium and iron in sera and bone tissues, and also the level of serum parathyroid hormone. Four week old male STD-Wistar rats were divided into four groups to examine the effects of four kinds of diets for ten weeks. The rats on normal diet (Group I) and normal diet+aluminum (Group II) did not show any pathological changes of the bones, but in both calcium-deficient diet group (Group III) and calcium deficient diet added aluminium (Group IV), the compact bone converted into spongy bone in varying degrees, particularly in Group IV. Aluminium deposition was demonstrated at the calcification fronts and the cement lines only in Group IV as red or violet-red lines with aluminium stain, together with iron deposition as revealed with Berlin blue stain, showing similar distribution pattern as aluminum. It was clearly indicated that aluminium and iron, instead of calcium, deposited on the calcification front of the bone under the condition of calcium deficiency, inhibiting the normal osteogenesis.