Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating and debilitating neurodegenerative disease of unknown cause. A consensus suggests the involvement of both genetic and environmental factors of which the latter may involve human exposure to aluminium. There are no data on the content and distribution of aluminium in human brain tissue in MS. The aluminium content of brain tissue from 14 donors with a diagnosis of MS was determined by transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The location of aluminium in the brain tissue of two donors was investigated by aluminium-specific fluorescence microscopy. The aluminium content of brain tissue in MS was universally high with many tissues bearing concentrations in excess of 10 μg/g dry wt. (10 ppm) and some exceeding 50 ppm. There were no statistically significant relationships between brain lobes, donor age or donor gender. Aluminium-specific fluorescence successfully identified aluminium in brain tissue in both intracellular and extracellular locations. The association of aluminium with corpora amylacea suggests a role for aluminium in neurodegeneration in MS.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown aetiology
While data demonstrate the presence of aluminium in human brain tissue in neurodegenerative/neurodevelopmental disease [9,10], there are no such data for MS
Total aluminium was measured in each sample by transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (TH GFAAS), Perkin-Elmer, Beaconsfield, UK) using matrix-matched standards and an established analytical programme alongside previously validated quality assurance data including the application of 174 method blanks to account for issues of extraneous contamination [12]
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown aetiology. The consensus remains that MS is likely to involve both genetic and environmental factors acting either in isolation or together in various disease phenotypes. Human exposure to aluminium [4]. Individuals with relapsing remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive (SPMS) MS were shown to excrete large amounts of aluminium in their urine [5], an observation recently built upon and confirmed in individuals with SPMS [6]. The origin in the body of excreted aluminium, identified in aforementioned research, is unknown; it may be brain tissue as myelin [7] and oligodendrocytes [8] are specific targets in animal models of aluminium intoxication. While data demonstrate the presence of aluminium in human brain tissue in neurodegenerative/neurodevelopmental disease [9,10], there are no such data for MS. Public Health 2018, 15, 1777; doi:10.3390/ijerph15081777 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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