According to research on zebrafish in Naples, Italy, aluminium exposure may increase the activity of several genes associated with the development of Parkinson’s.
The team investigated the impact of exposing zebrafish to aluminium for periods of 10, 15 or 20 days. Subsequent analyses revealed that effects in “cellular disorganisation” and swelling, brought on by the exposure, were highest after 10 or 15 days – and that around 10 Parkinson’s-related genes showed increased signs of activation.
The researchers found that while fish exposed to aluminium showed signs of brain degeneration, brain tissue remained intact in the fish that were not exposed.
When their results were published in the journal ‘Chemosphere’, the researchers noted that further investigation of the link between aluminium exposure and Parkinson’s is needed – but they wrote: “Overall, the data confirm the neurotoxicity induced by aluminium and shed a light on its involvement in neurodegenerative processes.”
