Effects of Sub-chronic Aluminum Exposure on Renal Structure in Rats

To investigate the effects of aluminum (Al) exposure on renal structure of rats, 60 Wistar rats were randomly divided into four treatment groups and were orally exposed to 0 (control group, GC), 64.18 (low-dose group, GL), 128.36 (middle-dose group, GM), and 256.72 (high-dose group, GH) mg • kg−1 BW AlCl3 in drinking water for 120 days. The body weight of different rats was recorded, the kidney pathologic structure and the ultrastructure were observed. The results showed that the body weight of different rats was markedly lower in Al-treated rats than those in GC (P<0.05; P<0.01). After masson staining, the collagen was deposited in the renal interstitium and aggravated with Al dose increases in Al-treated rats. Under electron microscope, the infolding of the plasma membrane was slight swollen, the mitochondrion was abundant with different sizes, the mitochondrion cristae was fused, the microvillus was swollen and fused in GH. Our findings indicated that sub-chronic Al exposure slowed the weight of rats and caused the kidney pathologic damage in rats.