Blood and hoof biodistibution of some trace element (Lithium, Copper, Zinc, Strontium and, Lead) in horse from two different areas of Sicily.
Abstract: Biological monitoring of trace element horses is a well-known tool for investigating potential bioaccumulation in urbanized and industrialized geographical areas. Some biomaterials such as hoof are considered as an important indicator of environmental pollution. Hooves can store trace elements for a long time compared to blood and this represents a scientific key to long-term monitoring of exposure to environmental pollutants. In the present study, samples of equine hoof and blood were taken from an experimental group of horses living in an industrialized area of Sicily (Italy) and from a control group of horses housed in a non-industrialized area of Sicily to evaluate the bioaccumulation of different trace elements in different substrates. Methods: Hoof and blood mineral concentration of Li- Lithium, Cu- Copper, Zn- Zinc, Sr- Strontium and, Pb- Lead was processed by means of Thermo Scientific iCAP-Q ICP-MS spectrometer. Student T-test was applied to evaluate the differences between groups and substrates. Correlation analysis between substrates and hematological parameters was performed. Results: Statistical analysis showed a significant statistical difference for Li (p < 0.0001) and Pb (p < 0.0001) between blood and hoof in both groups. A statistically significant difference was observed for Li (p < 0.0001), Cu(p < 0.01), Zn (p < 0.0001) and Pb (p < 0.0001) between substrates in the experimental group. The statistical analysis showed a significant difference of blood Zn (p < 0.01) and hoof Pb (p < 0.01) concentration between groups. Our results revealed a statistically higher concentration of minerals in the blood substrate than in the hoof in both groups. Li (p < 0.0001) and Zn (p < 0.001) were positively correlated between control and experimental group in blood substrate. No correlations were found (P > .05) in hoof between groups for other elements. A positive correlation with WBC was observed in Cu concentration for hoof substrate (p < 0.02) in control group and for Zn in experimental group (p < 0.02). A positive correlation with HGB and HCT was observed for Cu hoof concentration (p < 0.02) in experimental group and PLT resulted positively correlated (p < 0.02) with Pb blood substrate in control group. Conclusions: Horses were not overexposed to these elements in the analyzed groups. The study highlights the role of a new bioaccumulation substrate such as the horse hoof identified as an analytical matrix for the monitoring of heavy metal concentrations in domestic animals.
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Publication Date: 2023-12-23 PubMed ID: 38171268DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2023.127378Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This study was conducted on horses in two different areas of Sicily to evaluate the bioaccumulation of trace elements such as Lithium, Copper, Zinc, Strontium, and Lead, in their hoof and blood. A significant difference in the concentration of these elements was observed between blood and hoof in both groups.
Study Design
- The study used biological monitoring of horses placed in two contrasting environments – an industrialized area and a non-industrialized area – in Sicily, Italy.
- The hoof and blood samples from horses were examined since the hoof is considered a key biological material that can capture and store trace elements for a long time, making it a reliable indicator for long-term environmental pollution monitoring.
- The mineral concentration of the trace elements in the blood and hoof samples was processed using a Thermo Scientific iCAP-Q ICP-MS spectrometer.
- The team conducted a Student’s T-test to evaluate the differences in the trace element concentrations between the groups and the substrates.
Results
- Statistical analysis showed a significant difference for Lithium and Lead concentrations between the blood and hoof in both horse groups.
- There were significantly different concentrations of Lithium, Copper, Zinc, and Lead between the blood and hoof in the experimental group.
- The analysis distinguished a significant difference in Zinc in the blood and Lead in the hoof between the two groups.
- A positive correlation was noted between Lithium and Zinc concentrations in the blood of both the control and experimental group horses.
- No correlations were found between the groups for other elements in the hoof.
- A positive correlation was also observed with white blood cells (WBC) in Copper concentrations for the hoof and for Zinc in the experimental group. Copper hoof concentration showed a positive correlation with hemoglobin (HGB) and hematocrit (HCT). Platelet (PLT) was positively correlated with Lead concentration in the blood of the control group.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that the horses in both the control and experimental groups were not overexposed to the tested mineral elements.
- Highlighting the role of a new bioaccumulation substrate, the study established that the horse hoof serves as an efficient analytical matrix for monitoring heavy metal concentrations in domestic animals.
Cite This Article
APA
Aragona F, Cicero N, Nava V, Piccione G, Giannetto C, Fazio F.
(2023).
Blood and hoof biodistibution of some trace element (Lithium, Copper, Zinc, Strontium and, Lead) in horse from two different areas of Sicily.
J Trace Elem Med Biol, 82, 127378.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2023.127378 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Via Giovanni Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Via Giovanni Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Via Giovanni Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Via Giovanni Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Via Giovanni Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy. Electronic address: clgiannetto@unime.it.
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Via Giovanni Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Copper / analysis
- Trace Elements / analysis
- Zinc / analysis
- Lithium / analysis
- Hoof and Claw
- Lead / analysis
- Strontium / analysis
- Sicily
- Environmental Monitoring / methods
- Metals, Heavy / analysis
- Minerals / analysis
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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