Aluminum biological roles

Bioinorganic chemistry will surely develop in an even wider area than it has thus far. Attention is likely to increase for studies on nonmetals, such as Se and As and their roles in, e.g., detoxification reactions. In addition, studies on elements such as aluminum (a possible causative factor in dialysis dementia and related to Alzheimer disease, senile dementia) and other abundant earth crust metals will increase. The role of bioinorganic catalysis to make and keep our environment clean has been mentioned in many of the previous chapters. It is to be expected that future catalytic processes, based on and derived from biological ones, will be as clean as possible, producing useful, harmless, and biodegradable products for the world. 

Comelis R. 1982. Variability in reported plasma Al-concentrations. CEC-Commission of European Communities (1982) international workshop on the role of biological monitoring in prevention of aluminum toxicity in man. Aluminum assay in biological fluids. Luxembourg . July 5-7, 1982. 

Aluminum, the commonest metallic element in the Earth s crust (8.8 mass %) occurs widely in Nature in silicates such as micas and feldspars, as the hydroxo oxide (bauxite), and as cryolite (Na3AlF6). In spite of the abundance, aluminum does not appear to play a role in biology, although it has been linked to Alzheimer s disease, a degenerative brain disorder. 

H. Sigel, Metal Ions in Biological Systems , Aluminum and its Role in Biology, Vol. 24, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1988. 

The relationship between aluminum and silicon in biology has been explored by Birchall 17, 19, 27). He suggests the essential requirement for silicon exhibited by animals is because the silicon fulfills a protective role in complexing aluminum. 

The determination of trace metal impurities in pharmaceuticals requires a more sensitive methodology. Flame atomic absorption and emission spectroscopy have been the major tools used for this purpose. Metal contaminants such as Pb, Sb, Bi, Ag, Ba, Ni, and Sr have been identified and quantitated by these methods (59,66-68). Specific analysis is necessary for the detection of the presence of palladium in semisynthetic penicillins, where it is used as a catalyst (57), and for silicon in streptomycin (69). Furnace atomic absorption may find a significant role in the determination of known impurities, due to higher sensitivity (Table 2). Atomic absorption is used to detect quantities of known toxic substances in the blood, such as lead (70-72). If the exact impurities are not known, qualitative as well as quantitative analysis is required, and a general multielemental method such as ICP spectrometry with a rapid-scanning monochromator may be utilized. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy may also be used in the analysis of biological fluids in order to detect contamination by environmental metals such as mercury (73), and to test serum and tissues for the presence of aluminum, lead, cadmium, nickel, and other trace metals (74-77). 

See Silicon-aluminum interactions in biology Alzheimer s disease, role of aluminum, 606 Amine desorption, variable-temperature diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy from siliceous surface, 257-266 Amine-stabilized sol, manufacturing... 

Bodhak S, Balia VK, Bose S, Bandyopadhyay A, Kashahkar U, Jha SK et al (2011) In vitro biological and tribological properties of transparent magnesium aluminate (Spinel) and aluminum oxynitride (AlON (R)). J Mater Sci Mater Med 22 1511-1519 Bodhak S, Bose S, Bandyopadhyay A (2009) Role of surface charge and wettability on early stage minerahzation and bone cell-materials interactions of polarized hydroxyapatite. Acta Biomater 5 2178-2188... 

Biological and clinical chemistry applications of plasma emission spectrometry include determinations of those metals required for proper functioning of living systems, such as Fe, Cu, K, Na, P, S, and Se, in urine, blood, serum, bone, muscle, and brain tissue. Aluminum exposure was suspected of playing a role in Alzheimer s disease and A1 concentrations in blood and tissue can be determined by emission spectrometry. No link between exposure to aluminum and Alzheimer s... 

Volume 23. NICKEL AND ITS ROLE IN BIOLOGY Volume 24. ALUMINUM AND ITS ROLE IN BIOLOGY... 

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