Subchronic Exposure To Alcl3 Induces Hematological And Iron Metabolism Genes Expression Changes In Sprague Dawley Rats

Abstract

Aluminum in the form of aluminum trichloride (AlCl₃) is a potentially toxic element depending on the entry route, concentration, and exposure time. This research aimed to evaluate a possible genotoxicity to iron metabolism genes profile expression and hematotoxicity effect as a consequence, due to subchronic exposure to AlCl₃ in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. To this end, 14 female Sprague Dawley rats were aleatory selected forming two groups. Control group (A) was treated 90 days with physiological saline solution, whereas Experimental Group (B) was treated with AlCl₃ 40 mg/kg/day through intragastric route. Furthermore, rats were previously treated with halothane followed by blood drawing through intracardiac puncture. A complete blood count (CBC) and RNA extraction were done on whole blood samples, while serum was used to measure iron kinetic parameters using the micro-ELISA method. The CBC results point out that there are higher values of Hb and MCHC, PCT percentage, and white blood cells (WBC) predominantly due to neutrophils (NE), eosinophils (EO) and basophils (BA) in the experimental group compared to control (α = 0.05). Moreover, experimental subjects showed lower ferritin values and higher total iron binding capacity (TIBC) in iron kinetics analytes than untreated individuals. In addition, hepcidin and transferrin gene expression appeared overexpressed, while the ferritin gene was observed slightly repressed in group B when analyzed in the heatmap. Significative changes in treated subjects were observed in hepcidin gene expression, while iron kinetics analysis showed a decrease in ferritin. In conclusion, AlCl₃ induces changes in blood cell count, iron kinetics parameters, and gene expression profile, which may be an oxidative stress consequence.