Background and Objective: Aluminum, as an environmental pollutant, exerts its adverse effects on various human systems, including blood. Lymphocytes play important roles in the immune system. This study was preformed to investigate the effect of aluminum chloride on viability and membrane integrity of human lymphocytes. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were taken from 18 healthy individuals and their lymphocytes were isolated using Ficoll solution. The lymphocytes were suspended in RPMI medium and transferred to 96 wells sterile plate (1×106 cells per ml). The cells were then divided into 3 groups: 1) lymphocytes at 0 hour, 2) control lymphocytes and 3) lymphocytes treated with aluminum chloride (1mM). The treatments were carried out for 24 hours in a CO2 incubator at 37°C. The samples from the different groups were used for evaluating vital parameters of lymphocytes. To evaluate cell viability, trypan blue staining and MTT (3(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay were used. In order to study membrane integrity, propidium iodaide and acridine orange stainig were used. Data were analyzed using one way ANOVA and Tukey's test and p<0.05 was considered signifcant. Result: Lymphocytes treated with aluminum chloride for 24 hours showed a signifcant reduction in cell viability while this pollutant had no effect on membrane integrity as compared to the control group. Conclusion: Aluminum chloride exerts harmful effects on vital parameters of human lymphocytes, but has no effect on membrane integrity.
