Tin Concentration in the Thymus Glands of Rats and Mice and Its Relation to the Involution of the Gland

Abstract

Tin is an ubiquitous element and thus enters mammals through the food chain. It has never been found to be dysfunctional in either plants or animal tissue and has been regarded as an innocuous background material. Of the many organs and glands that have been analyzed for tin, only the thymus gland exhibits an above average value for tin. A complete study on the tin content in the thymus gland has never been published and this work is an attempt to investigate this subject. Three types of rodents were used in this study; inbred Lewis rats, inbred A/KI mice (a breast cancer prone mouse) and outbred COBS mice (a cancer resistant mouse). The tin analysis of the muscle, spleen, and thymus indicated constant values for the muscle and spleen tissue, but an increase in the thymic tin concentration (ppm) with age. Besides normal aging studies, the animals were administered the disodium salt of dexamethasone-21-phosphate (dexa), which causes rapid loss of lymphocytes from the spleen and thymus but has no effect upon the muscle. Tin concentration in the muscles remained constant, showed a loss from the spleen and an increase in the thymus gland. The increase indicates that the tin was probably located in the medulla of the thymus, which may be the active biochemical site for tin in rodents. When compared to the COBS mice, the A/KI mice showed a non-statistical difference in tin content in the muscle and spleen and statistically significant lower tin content in the thymus gland.

A fluorescent chemosensor for Sn2+ and Cu2+ based on a carbazole-containing diarylethene

“…8 Deciency of tin may result in poor growth and hearing loss, whereas excess tin accumulation can abhorrently affect respiratory and digestive systems. 9,10 Recent reports have revealed that Sn 2+ can be readily taken up by human white blood cells and cause DNA damage. 11 Thus, it is of great importance to establish a method for the determination of Sn 2+ in the environmental and biological systems.…”

Two rhodamine based chemosensors for Sn4+ and the application in living cells

“…These organotins have found to be existing widely in some seafood [2]. Moreover, Sn 4+ , is an important trace mineral for human and animal biology as it is involved in several biochemical processes at the cellular level [3], and is found in the greatest amounts in the adrenal glands, liver, brain, spleen and thyroid gland [4][5][6]. Tin deficiency can increase the risk factors associated with poor growth, hearing loss, and cancer prevention.…”

Easy and rapid chemosensing method for the identification of accumulated tin in algae: a strategy to protect a marine eco-system

“…5–7 It has been reported that the excessive presence of Sn 2+ in the blood of humans can easily enter into the cell by calcium channels and get attached to white blood cells, leading to DNA damage. 8,9 The permissible consumption levels of Sn( ii ) in drinking water and canned food are 8.4 × 10 −4 M to 8.4 × 10 −3 M and 2.105 × 10 −6 M respectively, as per WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines. 10 Sn( ii ) and its organic compounds may cause several environmental problems, especially in marine organisms.…”