The potential roles of aluminum chloride and sodium fluoride on the neurotoxicity of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus of male rat offspring

Abstract Background This study highlights the potential toxic effects of aluminum chloride and sodium fluoride (NaF), given to pregnant female rats, on the development of the brain neurotransmission systems in their offspring. Pregnant female rats received a daily dose of NaF (0.15 g/L) or AlCl3 (0.5 g/L) in the drinking deionized water, either separately or in combination with each other, starting from the 6th day of gestation till the end of the breastfeeding period. After weaning, the male offspring were divided into two subgroups; in the first one, the offspring continued to have the same treatments in their drinking water at the same dose levels, as were provided to the mothers, until the age of 70 days of postnatal life. In the second subgroup, the pups were provided with a drinking deionized water without the treatments for a similar period of time. At the end of the experimental period, the contents of the brain monoamine neurotransmitters, as well as the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, were assessed in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. In addition, the offspring were subjected to the exploratory behavioral test. Results The results revealed that sodium fluoride and aluminum chloride induced sever perturbation and imbalance in the neurotransmission systems under investigation. The pattern of change and severity differed with the different brain areas. The combination of the two pollutants exerted general synergistic impacts with different specific response in the different brain area. Conclusion It is concluded from this study that the exposure to sodium fluoride and aluminum chloride, either separately or in combination, induced profound disturbances in the transmission within the rat brain monoamine systems and subsequent undesirable impact on the animal’s behavioral aspects.