Vanadium in human serum, as determined by neutron activation analysis

Area of Science:

• Trace element analysis
• Human physiology
• Analytical chemistry

Background:

• Vanadium is an essential trace element with potential physiological roles.
• Accurate measurement of vanadium in biological samples is crucial for understanding its function.
• Previous methods for vanadium determination may have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To accurately quantify vanadium concentrations in healthy human serum.
• To investigate the physiological significance of vanadium in humans.
• To validate a neutron activation analysis method for serum vanadium determination.

Main Methods:

• Neutron activation analysis (NAA) with post-irradiation chemical separation was employed.
• Serum samples from 23 healthy subjects were analyzed.
• Method validation was performed using certified water and serum standards, including 48V spiking.

Main Results:

• Vanadium concentrations in healthy human serum ranged from 260-1300 ng/L, with a mean of 670 ng/L.
• The NAA method demonstrated excellent agreement with expected values for standard samples.
• The narrow range of observed concentrations supports a potential physiological role for vanadium.

Conclusions:

• Neutron activation analysis provides reliable measurements of vanadium in human serum.
• The findings suggest vanadium is present at consistent levels, indicating a possible physiological function.
• This study offers a more dependable method for human serum vanadium analysis compared to atomic absorption spectroscopy.