Effect of aluminium on lipid profile and atherogenic index in prepubertal and young adult female rats: A pilot study

Objectives: Exposure of aluminium (Al) to mankind is inescapable, and its dyslipidaemic impact is a possible contributing factor to health hazards like cardiovascular diseases. The health effects due to the metalloestrogenic property of the metal need imperative consideration. The current experimental work was undertaken to explore Al-induced dyslipidaemia due to its metalloestrogenic property. Materials and Methods: To fulfil this objective, prepubertal (PP) and young adult (YA) female Wistar rats were intraperitoneally administered to two doses of Al [5 and 10 mg/Kg body weight (BW)] once daily for 2 weeks. After the completion of the acute exposure protocol, plasma and hepatic tissue lipid profiles were estimated. Analysis of variance was carried out by the Kruskal–Wallis test and the differences between the groups were analysed by Mann–Whitney U post hoc test Results: Increased triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and very-LDL cholesterol in plasma were found in YAs treated with both doses of Al in a dose-dependent manner. Similar changes were not present in PP female rats. Decreased levels of lipid levels were observed in the case of hepatic lipid profile. Conclusion: The study ushers light towards the dyslipidaemic alterations in experimental female rats after acute Al exposure. Impacts of Al on the growth and organosomatic index during the vital developmental days were significantly decided by the pubertal status of the female rats. The results of this study indicate the impact of puberty on the Al-induced modifications in lipid profile parameters and cardiovascular risk factors.