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Quantitative profiling and baseline intervals of trace elements in healthy lung tissues
Aleksandar Stojsavljević1, Katarina Marković2, Aleksandar Lukač3
1Innovation Center, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Summary
This study quantifies essential and toxic trace elements in healthy human lungs, finding age, sex, and smoking significantly influence levels, especially cadmium in smokers.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Human lung tissue is exposed to environmental pollutants like trace metals.
- Quantitative data on trace metals in human lungs is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize elemental composition in healthy human lung tissue.
- Investigate the impact of personal factors (age, sex, smoking) on trace element profiles.
- Analyze correlations between trace elements in healthy lungs.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed essential (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se) and toxic (Sr, Ni, As, Cd, Pb) trace elements in 60 human lung tissue samples.
- Assessed influence of age, sex, and smoking habits.
- Performed correlation analyses on trace element concentrations.
Main Results:
- Iron (Fe) was most prevalent; Arsenic (As) was least prevalent.
- Older individuals (>65) showed higher Cr, Co, and lower Se; females had higher Cu and Co.
- Smokers exhibited a 10-fold increase in Cadmium (Cd) levels compared to non-smokers.
Conclusions:
- Establishes baseline intervals for trace elements in healthy lungs, aiding toxicological and clinical assessments.
- Highlights significant influence of age, sex, and smoking on lung trace element profiles.
- Suggests need for larger studies to solidify findings.
