Characterization of human fingernail elements using PIXE technique

Olabanji, S.O.; Ajose, Oladele A.; Makinde, N.O.; Buoso, M.C.; Ceccato, D.; Poli, M.; Moschini, G.

doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2005.06.206

Cited by 20 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Different elements observed in human nails have different metabolic roles, and hence, the determination of elemental compositions of nails of centenarian nails could be an index for assessing their nutritional status [16]. Like hairs, the nails also grow from matrix as new cells replace the older ones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trace Elements in Fingernails of Healthy Chinese Centenarians

Zou

et al. 2011

Biol Trace Elem Res

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Trace element concentrations in body tissues of healthy centenarians have not been widely analyzed, yet they can be used as reference data leading to improved assessment of the aging process and monitoring of the micronutrient status of this age group. The present study sought to assess trace element concentrations and behaviors in the fingernails of healthy Chinese centenarians. The effects of gender on element concentrations, which also play an important role in determining the lifespan, were also investigated. Trace elements (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, and Zn) in the fingernails of 78 healthy Chinese centenarians were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The overall reference values obtained in milligram per kilogram are as follows: Ba, 5.10; Cd, 0.031; Co, 0.101; Cr, 0.82; Cu, 3.71; Fe, 154.35; Li, 0.31; Mn, 3.09; Mo, 0.040; Ni, 0.95; Pb, 1.86; Se, 0.44; Sr, 6.20; and Zn, 147.96. Data analysis showed that only Cr and Se concentrations show a normal distribution, and no significant difference between male and female groups was found for any element except Cr. Result also revealed that sufficient Se, Co, and Zn as well as lower or lack of exposure to Cr contribute positively to the lifespan of centenarians. The results suggest that regulating in vivo contents of trace elements, especially Se, Co, and Zn, is reasonable to intervene with geriatric diseases.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trace Elements in Fingernails of Healthy Chinese Centenarians

Zou

et al. 2011

Biol Trace Elem Res

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“…These characteristic elements, including Mn, Fe, Co, and Cr, are essential elements for proper body physiology. They play an important role in physiological functions [34,35]. Particularly, the key biochemical roles of Mn and Fe have been well known, due to their essential functions in antioxidant enzymes [36][37][38][39][40][41].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fe is a constituent of hemoglobin and myoglobin and plays an important role in oxygen delivery [34]. Moreover, Fe is present in antioxidant enzymes, for example, catalase and peroxidases [45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Correlation Between Diet and Longevity Characterization by Means of Element Profiles in Healthy People over 80 Years from a Chinese Longevous Region

Cai

Zhao

et al. 2015

Biol Trace Elem Res

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Monitoring the element concentrations in the human body is of critical importance for health and longevity. In order to explore the formation mechanism of longevity from the perspective of the body's element loads, this study investigated the prominent feature of element profiles in healthy people over 80 years from Bama County (China), a famous longevous region (LR). The element profiles in nails of elderly people from the LR and a non-longevous region were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, using orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) for pattern recognition. As a result, four characteristic elements closely related to the healthy elderly people from LR, including Cr, Fe, Mn, and Co, were identified. The concentrations of Cr, Fe, Mn, and Co were significantly increased in the LR group (p < 0.05). The values of fold change of Cr, Fe, Mn, and Co were 3.00, 2.46, 2.24, and 2.21, respectively. These characteristic elements could provide an important material guarantee for health and longevity of elderly people in the LR. The further correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between the Sr (r = 0.886), Mn (r = 0.873), Ni (r = 0.786), and Co (r = 0.738) concentrations in nails of elderly people and those in drinking water. Furthermore, significant positive correlations were found between the Se (r = 0.940), Mn (r = 0.833), and Fe (r = 0.733) concentrations in nails and their dietary intake. Consequently, the observations suggested that diet could provide extraordinary reference information in terms of reflecting the feature of element profiles in healthy elderly people over 80 years from the LR.

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“…In some tissues, such as the nail, the concentration of elements can reflect longterm effects due to a long period of exposure. Because of the low growth rate of nails, 0.1 mm per day [4], concentrations of elements in the nail can be considered the mean level in the body during a prolonged period in comparison with body fluids [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The nail, as a keratinized tissue, can sequester xenobiotics and its products due to biotransformation, regardless of the exposure phase [3,6]. Some changes in nail can be regarded as symptoms for some diseases and has been reported that there is a correlation between the appearance of the nail and common health conditions [4,7]. Moreover, studies show that the elemental composition of the nail is influenced by age, sex, and geographical location [4,7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison between elemental composition of human fingernails of healthy and opium-addicted subjects by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

2012

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The objective of the present work is to identify differences in elemental fingernail composition between opium-addicted and healthy adult human subjects using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Thirty nails from normal, healthy male subjects and 30 nails from opium-addicted male individuals were analyzed. Measurements on 60 nail samples were carried out, identifying 13 key species including 11 neutral elements and 2 ions. Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) was used to classify the samples between the two groups. Spectral line intensities of elements including Fe, C, Ti, Mg, Si, Al, Ca, H, K, O, and Na were considered variables in DFA. This analysis demonstrates the efficient discrimination between the two groups. However, the number of samples in this work is not sufficient for a decisive conclusion and further research is needed to generalize this idea.

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Characterization of human fingernail elements using PIXE technique

Cited by 20 publications

References 20 publications

Trace Elements in Fingernails of Healthy Chinese Centenarians

Trace Elements in Fingernails of Healthy Chinese Centenarians

A Correlation Between Diet and Longevity Characterization by Means of Element Profiles in Healthy People over 80 Years from a Chinese Longevous Region

Comparison between elemental composition of human fingernails of healthy and opium-addicted subjects by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

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