Up-regulation in the expression of renin gene by the influence of aluminium

The excretion of aluminium in urine was significantly increased after intake of analgesics containing aluminium, confirming increased absorption and hence exposure to aluminium with such medication. The effect of aluminium on the kidney was further investigated by study of gene expression in mice. After a single dose of aluminium, an up-regulation of renin gene was found by DNA sequencing of the products of differential display analysis. The up-regulation of renin was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting experiments in the dose dependent treatments and the time course observation after aluminium citrate injection. The up-regulation of the renin expression by aluminium is a strong indication of the influence of aluminium on the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone-system, resulting in possible induction of essential hypertension.