Chromium accumulation and ultrastructural changes in the mouse liver caused by stainless steel corrosion products

Abstract

Stainless steel (SS) corrosion products were obtained by electrochemical dissolution of SS type AISI 316L. Mice were injected subcutaneously with 0.5 ml of SS solution (containing 283 μg Fe, 69.3 μg Cr and 57 μg Ni) each 72 h, for 10 days or 14 days. After the treatment time, livers were removed and were analysed for: (a) liver wet weight; (b) contents in Fe, Cr and Ni; (c) histological and ultrastructural alterations. Results showed that the percentage of liver weight per animal body weight was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in SS-injected animals than in the control animals. The atomic absorption spectrometry analysis of dry livers showed that chromium, but not iron or nickel, had a significant increase (p < 0.05) in SS-treated mice compared to the control animals. No histopathological differences between 10 and 14 days of SS-injection could be detected, however, massive hepatic degeneration was observed in both groups when compared to the control. These histological changes in SS-treated mice were confirmed at the ultrastructural level, as hepatocytes exhibited an augmentation of vacuoles in their cytoplasm. These actual liver morphological alterations suggest that the hepatocyte function may be hampered, which constitutes a matter of some concern since liver is a blood filtering organ.