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Review
. 2019 Oct;12(2):45-70.
doi: 10.2478/intox-2019-0007. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

Aluminium toxicosis: a review of toxic actions and effects

Ikechukwu Onyebuchi Igbokwe  1 , Ephraim Igwenagu  1 , Nanacha Afifi Igbokwe  2
Affiliations
Review

Aluminium toxicosis: a review of toxic actions and effects

Ikechukwu Onyebuchi Igbokwe et al. Interdiscip Toxicol. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Aluminium (Al) is frequently accessible to animal and human populations to the extent that intoxications may occur. Intake of Al is by inhalation of aerosols or particles, ingestion of food, water and medicaments, skin contact, vaccination, dialysis and infusions. Toxic actions of Al induce oxidative stress, immunologic alterations, genotoxicity, pro-inflammatory effect, peptide denaturation or transformation, enzymatic dysfunction, metabolic derangement, amyloidogenesis, membrane perturbation, iron dyshomeostasis, apoptosis, necrosis and dysplasia. The pathological conditions associated with Al toxicosis are desquamative interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, granulomas, granulomatosis and fibrosis, toxic myocarditis, thrombosis and ischemic stroke, granulomatous enteritis, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, anemia, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, sclerosis, autism, macrophagic myofasciitis, osteomalacia, oligospermia and infertility, hepatorenal disease, breast cancer and cyst, pancreatitis, pancreatic necrosis and diabetes mellitus. The review provides a broad overview of Al toxicosis as a background for sustained investigations of the toxicology of Al compounds of public health importance.

Keywords: aluminium; intoxication; pathology; toxicity; toxicosis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Major themes for the literature search on aluminium toxicosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Integrated literature search process.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Factors affecting tissue accumulation of aluminium and development of toxicosis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cellular pathology in the systemic toxicosis of aluminium.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Metabolic abnormalities in aluminium toxicosis.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Inflammatory conditions in aluminium toxicosis.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Pathogenesis of bone disease in aluminium toxicosis.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Reproductive and developmental disorders in aluminium toxicosis.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Photomicrograph of pancreas of aluminium chloride-treated rat showing coagulative necrosis of the pancreatic islet tissue with disorganization of its architecture (H & E, x 400) From Igwenagu et al. (2019).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Prevention and treatment of aluminium toxicosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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