STUDY ON TRACE ELEMENTS CONCENTRATION IN BONE PARTICLES BY XRF ANALYSIS

摘要

High concentrations of metals in the natural environment associated with industrial activity and increased migration of metals may cause an increase in the concentration of metals in living organisms, especially in the bone tissue, which reflects their total concentration in the body. Physiological basis for this assessment is based on the fact that the skeleton serves as a major reservoir for ingested heavy metals integrating them into bone matrix during calcification and where they remain until the bone is remodeled or resorbed. Investigations on the bone can be focused on three structural levels: mezostructural, micro, and nanostructural. In this study, we used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to measure the residual amount of heavy elements in bone particles, obtained by a widely used method. The bones used to perform the experiments were collected from local hospitals, following certain surgical coxofemural prosthesis operations (according to agreed procedures on patient privacy and medical ethics). Studies carried out on samples taken from humans have shown that the variability in bone chemical composition is depending on subject living area, which is essential for understanding the contribution of these factors on bone mass and constitution. Comparing values obtained with concentrations of metals in bones reported by other authors allowed us to conclude that EDPXRF method can be used to assess tissue concentrations of natural elements and the results provide a basis for evaluating metal loading of the human body.