Abstract
A prevalence of thyroid dysfunction is higher in the elderly as compared to the younger population. An excess or deficiency of trace element contents in thyroid plays important role ingoitro- and carcinogenesis of gland. The variation with age of the mass fraction of ten trace elements (Ag, Co, Cr, Fe, Hg, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, and Zn) in intact (normal) thyroid of 62 males (mean age 35.9 years, range 2-80) was investigated by instrumental neutron activation analysis with high resolution spectrometry of long-lived radio nuclides. Mean values± standard error of mean for mass fractions (mg/kg, on dry-mass basis) of the trace elements studied were: Ag0.0156±0.0021, Co0.0352±0.0031, Cr0.520±0.041, Fe 222±12, Hg0.0461±0.0053, Rb 7.89 0.58, Sb 0.108±0.010, Sc 0.0051±0.0012, Se 2.36±0.17, and Zn103±5.5. This work revealed that there is a significant tendency for an increase in Se mass fraction in normal male thyroid during a lifespan.Therefore, a goitrogenic and carcinogenic effect of inadequate Se level in the thyroid of old males and a harmful effect of disturbance in intra thyroidal trace element relationships with increasing age may be assumed.
Highlights
The endocrine organs, including the thyroid gland, undergo important functional changes during aging and a prevalence of thyroid dysfunction is higher in the elderly as compared to the younger population [1,2]
Advancing age is known to influence the formation of adenomatous goiter and thyroid cancer [3]
Women are affected by thyroid nodule and cancer two to five times more often than men, but in age over 65 years a prevalence of thyroid cancer may be higher in men [2,3,4,5]
Summary
The endocrine organs, including the thyroid gland, undergo important functional changes during aging and a prevalence of thyroid dysfunction is higher in the elderly as compared to the younger population [1,2]. The prevalence of thyroid nodules is increased in the elderly, reaching a frequency of nearly 50% by the age of 65 [4]. Aging, considered as an impairment of body functions over time, caused by the accumulation of molecular damage in DNA, proteins and lipids, is characterized by an increase in intracellular oxidative stress due to the progressive decrease of the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging [6,7]. Oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules which induce age-related diseases, including cancer, can arise through overproduction of ROS and faulty antioxidant and/ or DNA repair mechanisms [8]. The importance of appropriate levels of many chemical elements is indisputable, due to their beneficial roles when in specific concentration ranges, while on the other hand they can cause toxic effects with excessively high or low concentrations [12]
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