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2065032 
Journal Article 
Aluminum maltol-induced cytoskeletal changes in fetal rabbit midbrain explants in matrix culture 
Hewitt, CD; Herman, MM; Katsetos, CD; Savory, J; Wills, MR 
1989 
0 
Society for Neuroscience. Abstracts
ISSN: 0190-5295 
DART/TER/90001289 
15 
2 
eng 
We have evaluated the neurotoxic effects of aluminum (Al) on fetal rabbit midbrain explants using an in-vitro matrix system. Midbrain was explanted at 24 days' gestation and maintained in DMEM-F10 medium with 10% rabbit serum. After 15 days, cultures were treated thrice weekly with aluminum maltol (AM) for 24 or 25 days. Argyophilic neuritic swellings and perikaryal inclusions were produced at 11, 13 and 15 uM AM in 1, 2 and 1 experiments respectively, compared with controls. By immunohistochemistry, neuritic swellings and occasional perikarya exhibited reactivity toward phosphorylated epitopes of neurofilament protein (NF-H/M) but were negative for tau, MAP2 and beta-tubulin (hbeta4) after similar treatment with 11 and 13 uM AM. Treated cultures, maintained for an additional 10 days without Al retained neuritic pathology. By electron microscopy, focal accumulations of 10 nm filaments were observed in occasional neuronal somata and neurites of treated explants. Our findings are in keeping with the neuronal cytoskeletal changes noted in experimental Al intoxication in-vivo.