Abstract: Objective: To investigate the effects of 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridone (DHPO) on creatinine(Cr), urea nitrogen(BUN) and uric acid(UA) in serum and on aluminum(Al), zinc(Zn), copper(Cu), iron(Fe), calcium(Ca) and magnesium(Mg) in the kidneys of rats induced by aluminum. Methods: Wistar rats were subjected to aluminum chloride for 3 weeks. Then they were treated with different doses of DHPO. The content of Cr, BUN and UA in the serum was determined, and the concentrations of Al, Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca and Mg in kidney tissues were determined. Results: The BUN content of the Al group was significantly lower than that of the negative control group. The result of UA and Cr contents demonstrated that there was no statistical significance among the groups. The Al level in the kidneys was significantly increased with an intake increase. The aluminum concentration of the three DHPO groups was significantly lower than that of the Al group（P＜0.01）. The aluminum concentration of the moderate and high DHPO groups was not significantly different from that of the negative control group. The Cu concentration of the Al group and the low DHPO group was significantly lower than that of the negative control group, whereas there was no statistical significance between the moderate and high DHPO groups and the negative control group. Compared with the negative control group, the Zn, Fe, Ca, Mg concentrations of the low, moderate and high DHPO groups were not significantly different. Conclusion: DHPO could effectively promote the elimination of Al in kidneys, protect the kidney from Al-induced damage, and has no effect on the excretion of Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca and Mg.

Key words: Aluminum, Chelating agents, Cr, BUN, UA, Essential elements