Trace element distribution in human eye.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Human Biology

Background:

• Trace element analysis in human tissues provides insights into environmental exposure and biological processes.
• Hair serves as a valuable biomonitor for assessing long-term environmental conditions.
• Understanding elemental distribution in ocular tissues can inform health and toxicology studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trace element concentrations in human eye tissues (lens, iris, cornea, retina) and hair from Prague donors.
• To investigate differences in trace element deposition based on tissue type and sex.
• To use hair as an indicator of environmental conditions influencing elemental uptake.

Main Methods:

• Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was employed for quantifying 30 elements.
• Samples included four types of eye tissues and hair from 10 donors.
• Statistical analysis was performed to compare elemental differences between tissues and sexes.

Main Results:

• The lens tissue exhibited the lowest trace element deposition among all analyzed tissues.
• Iris tissue showed predominantly higher concentrations, especially of metallic elements.
• Hair samples indicated varying environmental trace element levels.
• Eye tissues from male donors generally contained slightly higher concentrations of most studied trace elements compared to females.

Conclusions:

• Trace element distribution varies significantly across different human eye tissues.
• Sex is a factor influencing trace element accumulation in ocular tissues.
• INAA is a suitable method for detailed elemental profiling in biological samples.
• Hair analysis can reflect environmental elemental burdens, correlating with tissue deposition patterns.