Investigation of trace metals in the blood plasma and scalp hair of gastrointestinal cancer patients in comparison with controls

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2010.01.010Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Gastrointestinal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer which is predominantly associated with the environmental factors. The carcinogenic processes are linked with the imbalances of trace metals in body fluid and tissues.

Methods

Trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) are estimated in blood plasma and scalp hair of the cancer patients and controls employing nitric acid–perchloric acid based wet-digestion followed by atomic absorption spectrophotometric method.

Results

The mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni were found to be significantly higher in the plasma of patients compared with the controls, however, appreciably higher concentrations of Fe and Zn were observed in the plasma of controls. The average scalp hair concentrations of Zn, Fe, Pb, Cu and Cd were notably higher in the patients than controls. The correlation study revealed significantly different mutual variations of the trace metals in the plasma and scalp hair of the patients and controls. The apportionment of trace metals in the plasma and scalp hair of the patients and controls was also considerably different.

Conclusions

The study revealed that the carcinogenic processes are significantly affecting the trace metal burden and mutual variations in the cancerous patients compared with the controls.

Introduction

Study on the trace metals for human health has been attracting a great deal of attention in recent decades. Several elements are usually determined in body fluids and tissues for the diagnosis and monitoring of various disorders, nutritional deficiencies, and occupational or environmental exposure [1], [2], [3]. The number of elements of interest has increased in the recent decade, especially trace metals, which are present as part of metalloenzymes and participate in biological functions, such as oxygen transport, free-radical scavenging, structural organization of macromolecules and hormonal activity [4], [5]. There always exists a dynamic balance among various trace metals in biological systems, which is responsible for many metabolic and physiological processes. Any disorder in trace metal balance is often related to some pathologic conditions, resulting in many ailments [6], [7], [8]. However, such relationships are quite complicated and the reliable prediction of a certain disease based on trace metal analysis requires suitable mathematical/statistical model to distinguish healthy and diseased subjects [2], [9], [10].

The role of trace elements in the development or inhibition of cancer is still unclear and numerous investigations have been carried out on this subject [11], [12], [13]. Many of these studies have focused on metal induced carcinogenicity, oxidative stress caused by metals being the most important mechanism [14], [15]. Significant differences in the concentration of various trace metals in the blood and tissues of the cancerous patients compared with the healthy personnel have been reported [16], [17], [18], [19], [20]. Gastrointestinal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide and it is mainly associated with environmental factors rather than genetics [21], [22]. The role of environmental pollutants thus becomes important in the prognosis and screening of the disease.

Blood is the transport medium for the nutrients and trace metals to and from the tissues and, therefore, provides rapid and reliable information about the trace metal metabolism in human body [3], [6]. Several studies have been reported in the recent years regarding the trace metal evaluation in the body liquids but because of natural significance and ease of sampling, blood is the most commonly used specimen. Consequently, whole blood, serum and plasma have been used in biological research for the determination of trace metal status of individuals and groups [24], [25], [26]. Plasma can be separated more rapidly than serum from cells and the procedure is more gentle towards the cells. Therefore, plasma is preferred over serum when trace metals with an unequal distribution in the blood are analyzed, although the addition of anticoagulants adds a risk of contamination [16], [27].

Scalp hair is the metabolic end product that has a recognized ability to reflect the body metal burden. The concentration of a certain element in hair reveals a balanced mineral content of the individual body pool over a long period of time, which can only be significantly modified by exposure of intake of high quantities of trace metals [3], [28]. Thus, the quantification of trace elements in hair has been used for assessment of long-term environmental and occupational exposure to trace metals as well as metabolic status concerning chronic nutritional deficiencies/ailments [1], [29], [30].

Section snippets

Materials and methods

A total of 36 gastrointestinal cancer patients, ages between 37 and 64 years, were included in this study, on volunteer basis. Average age of the patients was 51 years with a median value of 53 years. Subjects were selected from the patients admitted in hospitals of Rawalpindi district, Pakistan, namely POF Hospital Wah Cantt and Christian Hospital, Taxila, Pakistan. Prior to the sample collection, the protocol of the study was approved by the human ethical committee of the respective hospitals.

Results and discussion

The demographic data of the gastrointestinal cancer patients (hereafter called ‘patients’) and healthy persons (hereafter called ‘controls’) are presented in Table 2. Subjects in the two groups were closely matched for age and majority of them (72% patients and 68% controls) were vegetarians. Sixty-four percent cases in the patient group and 65% in the control group were drawn from urban areas. Most of the patients (81%) and all the controls (100%) were not using tobacco on continuous basis.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the present study evidenced marked divergences in the distribution of selected trace metals in the plasma and scalp hair of patients in comparison with the controls. The average concentrations of Fe and Zn were appreciably higher in the plasma of controls; nonetheless, other selected metals were recorded at increased concentrations in the plasma of patients. Likewise, the average concentration of Cr was not significantly different in the scalp hair of patients and controls, but

Acknowledgments

The funding by the Higher Education Commission, Government of Pakistan, to carry out this project is thankfully acknowledged. We are also grateful to the administration of POF Hospital, Wah Cantt, and Christian Hospital, Taxilla, for their invaluable help during the hair sampling.

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