Pharmacological and toxicological effects of aluminofluoride complexes

Laboratory investigations have often used aluminofluoride complexes for stimulation of various guanine nucleotide binding proteins. These complexes form spontaneously in aqueous solutions containing fluoride and traces of aluminum and appear to act as phosphate analogs, In View of the ubiquity of phosphate in cell metabolism and together with the dramatic increase in the amount of reactive aluminum now found in ecosystems, aluminofluoride complexes represent a strong potential danger for living organisms including humans. Although the possibility of pathophysiological consequences of their long-term action are not yet fully recognized, the pharmacological and toxicological effects of aluminofluoride complexes on animal and human cells, tissues, and organs are identified and summarized in this review.