The Effects of Inorganic Salts on Fluorine Storage in the Rat

Abstract

The administration by stomach tube of identical amounts of fluorine (as sodium fluoride), in the presence of various inorganic salts, has shown that not only the form of the inorganic salt but also its concentration and solubility are of importance when considering its effect on the storage of fluorine in the skeleton of the rat. Calcium in the form of calcium chloride decidedly decreased fluoride storage even at a calcium concentration of 0.01%, while calcium pyrophosphate did not alter the fluorine storage, in comparison with a similar control group which did not receive the added inorganic elements. Magnesium, in the form of magnesium chloride, and aluminum, in the form of aluminum chloride, also decreased fluoride storage at 1.0% cation concentrations, with the effect of aluminum being somewhat more pronounced than that of magnesium. When the fluoride is added to a dry diet there is less fluorine in the skeleton of the rat than when identical amounts are received by the rat in the drinking water. Of the total amount of fluorine ingested, a maximum of 50% is stored in the entire carcass of young rats when the fluorine is in aqueous solution.