Cytochemical response of kidney, liver and nervous system to fluoride ions in drinking water

Abstract

Morphological and cytochemical studies on the squirrel monkey have been made after maintaining the sujects on pure distilled water and fluoridated distilled water for 18 months with the objective of determining the effect of fluoride on the activity of some hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes in the kidney, liver and nervous system. Daily water intake by individual animals was measured over the final 10 months of the animal's exposure to 0,1 and 5 ppm fluoride. Water consumption was considerably higher in the animals on higher fluoride intake. Whereas the nervous system remained totally unaffected by this experimental procedure, the liver showed a slightly enhanced acivity of Krebs citric acid cycle enzymes. The kidneys, however, showed significant cytochemical changes, especially in the animals on 5 ppm fluoride intake in their drinking water. In these animals, the glomeruli showed an increase in the activity of acid phosphatase and the enzymes belonging to the citric acid cycle and the pentose shunt, whereas lactate dehydrogenase, a resentative of the anaerobic glyoclytic pathway, remained unchanged or only slightly changed. These observations suggest that fluoride in concentrations as low as 5 ppm interferes to some extent with the intracellular metabolism of the excretory system.

Worldwide contamination of water by fluoride

“…Other experiments carried out in Japan (Tohyama 1996), USA (Takahashi et al 2001) and Taiwan (Yang et al 2000) proved that various types of cancers are associated with fluoride. Further, studies also show that in animals, kidney damage occurs even at lower levels of fluoride exposure over a long time (Manocha et al 1975).…”

Factors controlling fluoride contents of groundwater in north-central and northwestern Sri Lanka

“…Many studies have been carried out on animals, and it has been found that kidney damage occur even at lower levels of fluoride exposure over long periods (Manocha 1975;Varner 1998). Fluoride levels in drinking water of only 0.4 mg/l have been shown to cause renal impairment (Junco 1972).…”

Fluoride Sensitivity of Cells from Different Organs

“…Effects in the kidneys are of the first to be seen in fluoride exposure of mammals (Taylor et al 1961;Taves et al 1970;Franscino 1972;Manocha et al 1975). The reason for this is considered to be the relative high concentrations of fluoride found in the kidneys and in the urine during exposure (Whitford & Taves 1973;Dahlgreen 1978).…”