The present study was designed to examine the protective effects of the
chelating agents desferrioxamine (DFO) and deferiprone (DFP) in aluminium
intoxicated spleen tissue of mice by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy.
The finding reveals the alterations on the major biochemical constituents, such as
lipids, proteins, phosphodiester and nucleic acids of the spleen tissues of mice at
molecular level. The significant decreased in the peak areas of asymmetric and
symmetric mode of the phosphodiester groups from control 5.176±0.060 and
18.885±0.198 to aluminium intoxicated 1.034±0.005 and 1.506±0.166, but improved
it by DFP and DFO+DFP from 1.989±0.062 and 4.232±0.027 to 2.490±0.058 and
8.080±0.420 respectively for near control values. The bands ratio at I1081/I1232
significantly decreased from control (3.648±0.016) to aluminium (1.457±0.050), but
enhanced it by DFP (2.283±0.032) and DFO+DFP (3.246±0.025) respectively. This
result suggests that DFO and DFP are the phosphodiester inhibitor, recovered from
chronic growth of diseases in the spleen. Amide I and amide II peak area values
decreased from 28.748±0.440 to 7.858±0.100 and 12.068±0.053 to 2.507±0.249, but
treated with DFP and DFO+DFP significantly improved. This result suggests an
alteration in the protein profile. The absence of Olefinic=CH stretching in aluminium
intoxicated spleen suggests an altered lipid levels. Concentrations of trace elements
were found by ICP-OES. Histopathological findings confirmed the biochemical
observations of this study. The results of the FTIR study were found to be in
agreement with biochemical studies and which demonstrate FTIR can be used
successfully applied to toxicological studies at molecular level.