Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hsu DJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5533136 | biostudies-other | 2017
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:Transition metals, although being essential cofactors in many physiological processes, are toxic at elevated concentrations. Among the membrane-embedded transport proteins that maintain appropriate intracellular levels of transition metals are ATP-driven pumps belonging to the P-type ATPase superfamily. These metal transporters may be differentiated according to their substrate specificities, where the majority of pumps can extrude either silver and copper or zinc, cadmium, and lead. In the present report, we have established the substrate specificities of nine previously uncharacterized prokaryotic transition-metal P-type ATPases. We find that all of the newly identified exporters indeed fall into one of the two above-mentioned categories. In addition to these exporters, one importer, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Q9I147, was also identified. This protein, designated HmtA (heavy metal transporter A), exhibited a different substrate recognition profile from the exporters. In vivo metal susceptibility assays, intracellular metal measurements, and transport experiments all suggest that HmtA mediates the uptake of copper and zinc but not of silver, mercury, or cadmium. The substrate selectivity of this importer ensures the high-affinity uptake of essential metals, while avoiding intracellular contamination by their toxic counterparts.
| S-EPMC2651836 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionCerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood, but its causes are only partly known. Early-life exposure to toxic metals and inadequate or excess amounts of essential elements can adversely affect brain and nervous system development. However, little is still known about these as perinatal risk factors for CP. This study aims to investigate the associations between second trimester maternal blood levels of toxic metals, essential elements, and mixtures thereof, with CP diagnoses in children.MethodsIn a large, population-based prospective birth cohort (The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study), children with CP diagnoses were identified through The Norwegian Patient Registry and Cerebral Palsy Registry of Norway. One hundred forty-four children with CP and 1,082 controls were included. The relationship between maternal blood concentrations of five toxic metals and six essential elements and CP diagnoses were investigated using mixture approaches: elastic net with stability selection to identify important metals/elements in the mixture in relation to CP; then logistic regressions of the selected metals/elements to estimate odds ratio (OR) of CP and two-way interactions among metals/elements and with child sex and maternal education. Finally, the joint effects of the mixtures on CP diagnoses were estimated using quantile-based g-computation analyses.ResultsThe essential elements manganese and copper, as well as the toxic metal Hg, were the most important in relation to CP. Elevated maternal levels of copper (OR = 1.40) and manganese (OR = 1.20) were associated with increased risk of CP, while Hg levels were, counterintuitively, inversely related to CP. Metal/element interactions that were associated with CP were observed, and that sex and maternal education influenced the relationships between metals/elements and CP. In the joint mixture approach no significant association between the mixture of metals/elements and CP (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = [0.67, 1.50]) was identified.ConclusionUsing mixture approaches, elevated levels of copper and manganese measured in maternal blood during the second trimester could be related to increased risk of CP in children. The inverse associations between maternal Hg and CP could reflect Hg as a marker of maternal fish intake and thus nutrients beneficial for foetal brain development.
| S-EPMC10470125 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Comprehensive examinations of placental metal concentrations and correlations with infant parameters are under-investigated. Chattanooga, Tennessee's consistently high incidence of low birth weight and potential for metal exposure provides an ideal opportunity to investigate potential correlations. OBJECTIVES:To investigate the associations between a wide variety of metals in placental tissue and multiple infant parameters. METHODS:A total of 31 elements were screened via ICP-MS in 374 individual placental samples. Of those, 14 were quantifiable in >?86% of the samples. We examined correlations between metal concentrations and infant parameters (birth weight, gestational age, birth weight centile, placental weight, birth length and head circumference). We fit multivariable regression models to estimate the covariate-adjusted associations of birth weight with ln-transformed concentrations of each of the 14 metals and used generalized additive models to examine nonlinear relationships. RESULTS:Some of the strongest relationships with infant parameters came from several lesser-studied metals. Placental rhodium concentrations were negatively correlated with almost all infant parameters. In the fully adjusted regression model, birth weight was significantly associated with several metals. On an IQR (25th to the 75th percentile) basis, estimated changes in birthweight were: for cobalt (82.5?g, IQR=6.05?µg/kg, p?=?0.006), iron (-51.5?g, IQR?=?171800?µg/kg, p?=?0.030), manganese (-27.2?g, IQR=152.1?µg/kg, p?=?0.017), lead (-72.7?g, IQR=16.55?µg/kg, p?=?0.004) and rhodium (-1365.5?g, IQR?=?0.33?µg/kg, p?<?0.001). Finally, a generalized additive model showed significant nonlinear relationships between birth weight and concentrations of Co and Rh. CONCLUSIONS:Our comprehensive examination of placental metals illustrate many strong associations between lesser-studied metals and infant parameters. These data, in combination with our correlations of well-studied metals, illustrate a need to consider in utero exposure to a broad array of metals when considering fetal development.
| S-EPMC6288679 | biostudies-literature
Project description:During their once-in-a-lifetime transoceanic spawning migration, anguillid eels do not feed, instead rely on energy stores to fuel the demands of locomotion and reproduction while they reorganize their bodies by depleting body reserves and building up gonadal tissue. Here we show how the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) breaks down its skeleton to redistribute phosphorus and calcium from hard to soft tissues during its sexual development. Using multiple analytical and imaging techniques, we characterize the spatial and temporal degradation of the skeletal framework from initial to final gonadal maturation and use elemental mass ratios in bone, muscle, liver, and gonadal tissue to determine the fluxes and fates of selected minerals and metals in the eels' bodies. We find that bone loss is more pronounced in females than in males and eventually may reach a point at which the mechanical stability of the skeleton is challenged. P and Ca are released and translocated from skeletal tissues to muscle and gonads, leaving both elements in constant proportion in remaining bone structures. The depletion of internal stores from hard and soft tissues during maturation-induced body reorganization is accompanied by the recirculation, translocation, and maternal transfer of potentially toxic metals from bone and muscle to the ovaries in gravid females, which may have direct deleterious effects on health and hinder the reproductive success of individuals of this critically endangered species.
| S-EPMC6561237 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Early-life exposure to heavy metals and/or trace metal imbalances can have negative developmental effects. Here we sought to characterize exposure profiles for 20 heavy metals and trace elements in umbilical cord blood plasma and identify demographic predictors of exposure. Twenty metals were measured in cord plasma from 357 Chinese infants using ICP-MS. Relationships between demographic variables and metals were analyzed using generalized linear models and logistic regression. Ten metals (antimony [Sb], cobalt [Co], cesium [Cs], copper [Cu], lead [Pb], molybdenum [Mo], rubidium [Rb], selenium [Se], strontium [Sr], titanium [Ti], zinc [Zn]) were detected in all samples. Season of birth was the strongest predictor of metals in cord blood across analyses. Infants born in the spring had 0.1-0.2??g L-1 higher logAs and logCo in their cord blood (? [95%CI]?=?0.22 [0.01,0.42], p?=?0.04; 0.11 [0.01,0.22], p?=?0.04), while infants born in the summer had higher Sb, logB, logHg, and logZn (? [95%CI]?=?0.74 [0.24,1.24], p?=?0.004; 0.11 [0.00,0.21], p?=?0.04; 0.29 [0.08,0.49], p?=?0.007; 0.18 [0.06,0.31], p?=?0.005), compared to those born in fall/winter. Prenatal heavy metal exposure and/or trace metal deficiencies are global concerns because of increasing awareness of downstream developmental effects.
| S-EPMC6179361 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Damage to locus ceruleus neurons could play a part in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis because of impairment of the blood-brain barrier and enhanced neuroinflammation. The locus ceruleus has connections throughout the brain and spinal cord, so the characteristic widespread multifocal pathology in these disorders could be due to damage to different subsets of locus ceruleus neurons. Previous studies have shown that only certain locus ceruleus neurons accumulate the neurotoxic metal mercury. To find out if concentrations of other toxic metals or of essential trace elements also vary between individual locus ceruleus neurons, we used synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy on frozen sections of locus ceruleus neurons taken from people with multiple sclerosis, in whom the locus ceruleus is structurally intact. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Paraffin embedded sections containing the locus ceruleus from seven people with multiple sclerosis were stained with autometallography that demonstrates accumulations of mercury, silver and bismuth. These were compared to maps of multiple elements obtained from frozen sections of locus ceruleus neurons from the same people using X-ray fluorescence microscopy. Neurons in the anterior pons from three of these donors were used as internal controls. RESULTS:Autometallography staining was observed in scattered locus ceruleus neurons from three of the seven donors. X-ray fluorescence microscopy showed variations among individual locus ceruleus neurons in levels of mercury, selenium, iron, copper, lead, bromine, and rubidium. Variations between donors of locus ceruleus neuronal average levels of mercury, iron, copper, and bromine were also detected. Anterior pons neurons contained no mercury, had varied levels of iron, and had lower copper levels than locus ceruleus neurons. CONCLUSIONS:Individual human locus ceruleus neurons contain varying levels of toxic metals and essential trace elements. In contrast, most toxic metals are absent or at low levels in nearby anterior pons neurons. The locus ceruleus plays a role in numerous central nervous system functions, including maintaining the blood-brain-barrier and limiting neuroinflammation. Toxic metals, or alterations in essential trace metals within individual locus ceruleus neurons, could be one factor determining the non-random destruction of locus ceruleus neurons in normal aging and neurodegenerative diseases, and subsequently the sites of the widespread multifocal central nervous system pathology in these disorders.
| S-EPMC7237016 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Toxic heavy metals (THMs) are contaminants commonly found in the environment. Although a large number of studies have demonstrated their damage to the biological functions of the human being, their potential associations with the risk of developing schizophrenia remain controversial. In this study, we investigated the associations between four THMs (chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As)) in serum and the risk of schizophrenia. In total, 95 patients with schizophrenia (cases) and 95 normal subjects (controls) were recruited from Hebei Province, China. The serum concentrations of the 4 THMs were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A higher concentration of Pb was found significantly associated with an elevated risk of schizophrenia (OR = 3.146; 95%CI: 1.238-7.994, p = 0.016), while significant association for the other three THMs were not observed. Besides, significant correlations were found between the metabolic biomarkers and the concentrations of Pb and As, respectively. In order to further characterize the association between these THMs and schizophrenia with greater statistical power, we conducted meta-analysis by including 538 cases and 1040 controls from the current study and 5 available datasets published from 2002 to 2018. Using a random-effect model, Cr was significantly associated with schizophrenia (SMD = 0.3246; 95%CI: 0.0166-0.6326, p < 0.01). Overall, this study suggested that higher levels of Pb and Cr may be one of the factors associated with an elevated risk of schizophrenia.
| S-EPMC6862006 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Biodegradable metals are promising candidates for bone defect repair. With an evidence-based approach, this study investigated and analyzed the performance and degradation properties of biodegradable metals in animal models for bone defect repair to explore their potential clinical translation. Animal studies on bone defect repair with biodegradable metals in comparison with other traditional biomaterials were reviewed. Data was carefully collected after identification of population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and study design (PICOS), and following the inclusion criteria of biodegradable metals in animal studies. 30 publications on pure Mg, Mg alloys, pure Zn and Zn alloys were finally included after extraction from a collected database of 2543 publications. A qualitative systematic review and a quantitative meta-analysis were performed. Given the heterogeneity in animal model, anatomical site and critical size defect (CSD), biodegradable metals exhibited mixed effects on bone defect repair and degradation in animal studies in comparison with traditional non-degradable metals, biodegradable polymers, bioceramics, and autogenous bone grafts. The results indicated that there were limitations in the experimental design of the included studies, and quality of the evidence presented by the studies was very low. To enhance clinical translation of biodegradable metals, evidence-based research with data validity is needed. Future studies should adopt standardized experimental protocols in investigating the effects of biodegradable metals on bone defect repair with animal models.
| S-EPMC8089787 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFrom a human health viewpoint, contaminated milk and its products could be a source of long-term exposure to toxic metals. Simple, inexpensive, and on-site assays would enable constant monitoring of their contents. Bioassays that can measure toxic metals in milk or yoghurt might reduce the risk. For this purpose, the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged trans factors, ArsR-GFP and CadC-GFP, together with their cis elements were used to develop such bioassays.ResultsArsR-GFP or CadC-GFP, which binds either toxic metal or DNA fragment including cis element, was directly mixed with cow's milk or yoghurt within a neutral pH range. The fluorescence of GFP, which is reflected by the association/dissociation ratio between cis element and trans factor, significantly changed with increasing externally added As (III) or Cd (II) whereas smaller responses to externally added Pb (II) and Zn (II) were found. Preparation and dilution of whey fraction at low pH were essential to intrinsic zinc quantification using CadC-GFP. Using the extraction procedure and bioassay, intrinsic Zn (II) concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 4.8 mg/l for milk brands and from 1.2 to 2.9 mg/kg for yoghurt brands were determined, which correlated to those determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy.ConclusionsGFP-tagged bacterial trans factors and cis elements can work in the neutralized whole composition and diluted whey fraction of milk and yoghurt. The feature of regulatory elements is advantageous for establishment of simple and rapid assays of toxic metals in dairy products.
| S-EPMC3505735 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The variations and dynamics of essential and toxic metal(loid)s in patients with COVID-19 may associate with the progression and fatal outcome of the disease, which still remains to investigate. In the present study, a retrospective analysis was performed in a cohort of 306 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Tongji hospital (Wuhan, China) from February 10 to March 15, 2020. Whole blood levels of essential and/or toxic metal(loid)s were analyzed, including magnesium, calcium, chromium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, thallium, and lead according to the disease severity and outcome. Compared to the non-severe COVID-19 patients, severe cases showed significant higher levels of whole blood calcium, chromium, and copper, but lower levels of magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, arsenic, thallium, and lead. These differences were further found consistently across the clinical course since the disease onset by longitudinal analysis. Among the severe patients, chromium and cadmium were higher in the deceased group compared to the recovered group, while arsenic was lower. Whole blood iron, age, and sex were determined to be independent factors associated with the disease severity, while chromium, cadmium, and the comorbidity of cardiovascular disease were determined to be independent factors associated with the mortality. These results suggest that variations of whole blood metal(loid)s may be associated with the severe illness and fatal outcome of COVID-19, which could be persistently monitored and would be helpful in the evaluation of the dynamic changes in patients with COVID-19.
| S-EPMC7995111 | biostudies-literature