Elemental Composition of Human Gallstones by Means of TXRF Spectrometry's
Corresponding Author
Abdallah A. Shaltout
Spectroscopy Department, Physics Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
Correspondence:
Abdallah A. Shaltout ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorOmar H. Abd-Elkader
Physics & Astronomy Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Search for more papers by this authorPetra Lassen
Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorUrsula A. E. Fittschen
Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Abdallah A. Shaltout
Spectroscopy Department, Physics Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
Correspondence:
Abdallah A. Shaltout ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorOmar H. Abd-Elkader
Physics & Astronomy Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Search for more papers by this authorPetra Lassen
Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorUrsula A. E. Fittschen
Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorFunding: This work is supported by Researchers Supporting Project, King Saud University, number (RSP2025R468). Abdallah A. Shaltout acknowledges the COST ACTION CA18130 - European Network for Chemical Elemental Analysis by Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence for chemical elemental analysis by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (CA18130-TXRF) for the short time scientific mission (STSM) at TU Clausthal, Germany under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ursula A. E. Fittschen. Ursula E. A. Fittschen was supported by the DAAD with the project-ID: 57651526.
ABSTRACT
The disease of human gallstone represents the most common disorder in the biliary system and it occurs in up to 20% of the adult population. The supersaturating of cholesterol in bile represents the main reason for forming the gallstones. In the present work, the benefit of elemental analysis with respect to a deeper understanding of gallstone disease is demonstrated. Different types of gallstone (cholesterol, pigment, and mixed) samples have been collected after surgical operations. The type of assignment depends on the biochemical composition. According to the major components, the main types of human gallstones are generally: pure cholesterol, calcium bilirubinate, and mixed gallstones. In this work, the micro-analytical tool Total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) was utilized to quantify the elemental composition of individual human gallstones. For quality assurance, a comparison with an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) was conducted for the elements Ti, Mn, Cu, and Zn. A good agreement was obtained between the results of TXRF and ICP-OES. In total, 21 elements and their detection limits were determined. These elements are: Mg, P, S, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, and Pb. Statistical analysis approaches were used to determine the correlation between the elements in the gallstone. Similarities of the gallstones due to the determined elements were illustrated by principal component analysis (PCA).
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| xrs3478-sup-0001-Figures.docxWord 2007 document , 37 KB |
Figure S1. Box and whisker plot. Figure S2. Score plot of PCA 1 and 2 with the samples colour coded according to their Ca concentration. Black circles: G#4, G#7, G#11, G#14, and G#15 with Ca concentrations ranging from 15,800 to 73,300 ug/g; red triangles: G#2, G#8, and G#10 and Ca concentrations from 2000 to 9800 ug/g and green crosses: G#5 and G#9 having concentrations of 520 and 350 ug/g, respectively. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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