Contents of twelve chemical elements in normal human breast determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

Abstract

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) has been shown to be an effective method for determining the content of Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, S, Si, Sr and Zn in small mass samples of breast tissue. The method is relatively simple and applicable directly in the clinic for express diagnostics. The autopsy material of 38 practically healthy women aged 16–60 years who died suddenly was studied using the developed method of ICP-AES. Mean values (M ± SD) of mass fractions (mg kg-1 of dry tissue) of chemical elements in normal breast tissue of women were: Al 3.62 ± 2.44, Ca 77.7 ± 61.8, Cu 1.03 ± 1.01, Fe 13.8 ± 12.3, K 194 ± 114, Mg 18.5 ± 9.0, Na 686 ± 516, P 201 ± 74, S 385 ± 224, Si 8.75 ± 6.22b, Sr 0.50 ± 0.24, and Zn 3.29 ± 1.65. The ability of breast tissue to absorb Al, Fe and Sr from the interstitial fluid was revealed. The selective accumulation of Al, Fe, and Sr should be taken into account in further studies of the role of chemical elements in the etiology of breast pathologies, as well as in the development of methods for the differential diagnosis of diseases, for example, benign and malignant tumors of the mammary gland.