The role of transferrin and citrate in cellular uptake of aluminium.
The ability of human erythroleukaemia K562 cells to take up aluminium from Al-transferrin and Al-citrate has been examined. Uptake from Al-transferrin was dose-dependent over the range 68-544 ng/ml of aluminium, and increased over a 12-day period. In contrast, uptake from Al-citrate was low even at an aluminium concentration of 6800 ng/ml and did not increase over time. Neither form of aluminium greatly affected cell growth. It is concluded that Al-transferrin, rather than Al-citrate, is the physiologically relevant form of this metal with respect to cellular uptake, but that any metabolic abnormalities induced by aluminium do not affect proliferation of this cell line.
University Department of Immunology, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
S J
SJ
McGregor
J H
JH
Brock
D
D
Halls
D000535:Aluminum / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division; D002951:Citrates / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019343:Citric Acid; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D004915:Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D002951:Citrates; D014168:Transferrin; C066781:aluminum-transferrin; D019343:Citric Acid; D000535:Aluminum