Iron, copper, zinc and selenium in human liver tissue measured by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Abstract

The content of iron, copper, zinc and selenium was measured by energydispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry in normal liver tissue obtained at autopsy from 16 females and 12 males 46–87 years old. The precision of the XRF analysis, expressed by the coefficient of variation was: iron, 1.8%; copper, 3.2%; zinc, 1.0%; and selenium, 26.7%. In large liver samples, mean amountof-substance contents of elements in dry liver tissue were: iron, 16.95 mmol/kg (range 7.90–27.31 mmol/kg); copper, 0.33 mmol/kg (0.08–0.76 mmol/kg); zinc, 5.12 mmol/kg (2.92–9.47 mmol/kg); selenium 0.02 mmol/kg (<0.004–0.04 mmol/kg).

Furthermore the amounts of iron, copper and zinc were measured in wet-ashed Menghini needle biopsy specimens taken from the centre of 20 large liver samples. There was good agreement between results obtained in biopsy specimens and large samples concerning iron (r = 0.96, P<0.001) and zinc (r = 0.97, P<0.001), but not concerning copper (r = 0.66, P<0.01). XRF analysis appears to be a convenient method for element analysis in liver tissue and for measurement of iron and zinc in needle biopsy specimens.

Key-words:

• copper
• iron
• liver
• selenium
• zinc