The intention of this study was to investigate the toxic effect of cobalt on the bone metabolism of rats, including calcium, inorganic phosphorus, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase of serum during short- and long-term experiments. Rats were injected intraperitoneally (IP) with either 16 mg kg–1 BW of cobalt for 5 and 10 days or 6 mg kg–1 BW for 20 and 40 days. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2014) 38: 561-567 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Cobalt induces alterations in serum parameters associated with bone metabolism in male adult rat 1 1 2, 1 3 Ali Asghar MOSHTAGHIE , Pedram MALEKPOURI *, Elham MOSHTAGHIE , Farhang RAHNAMAIE Department of Biochemistry, College of Basic Sciences, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran 2 Young Researchers and Elites Club, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 3 Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: The intention of this study was to investigate the toxic effect of cobalt on the bone metabolism of rats, including calcium, inorganic phosphorus, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase of serum during short- and long-term experiments. Rats were injected intraperitoneally (IP) with either 16 mg kg–1 BW of cobalt for 5 and 10 days or 6 mg kg–1 BW for 20 and 40 days. It was found that IP administrations of cobalt could increase all serum parameters associated with bone metabolic processes. The observed effect was greatest for 16 mg kg–1 BW when used for 10 continuous days. By using gel filtration chromatography, we found that most of the activity of total serum alkaline phosphatase was related to low molecular weight isoenzymes, which can be used as a biomarker for bone metabolic disturbances. These results suggest that cobalt can induce bone resorption in adult rats and, therefore, behave as an osteoporotic agent. Key words: Alkaline phosphatase, bone metabolism, bone resorption, cobalt, trace elements 1. Introduction While it is firmly established that cobalt (Co2+) plays an important role in human and animal biological functions, the toxic role of this trace element is rarely .
