Concentrations of strontium, barium, cadmium, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, antimony, selenium and lead in the equine liver and kidneys.

Nadine Paßlack,Richard Palavinskas,Helmut Schafft,Barbara Mainzer,Konrad Neumann,Monika Lahrssen-Wiederholt,Jürgen Zentek,Angele Breithaupt

doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-343

Abstract

The concentrations of specific elements in the equine liver and kidneys are of practical relevance since horses are not only food-producing animals, but also partially serve as an indicator for the environmental pollution, as the basic feed includes plants like grass, grain and fruits. In this study, the concentrations of strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), antimony (Sb), selenium (Se) and lead (Pb) were measured in the liver, renal cortex and renal medulla of 21 horses (8 male; 13 female; aged between 5 months-28 years), using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Comparable Cu and Zn concentrations were detected in the liver and renal cortex, while approximately 50% lower concentrations were measured in the renal medulla. The lowest Sr, Cd and Se, but the highest Mn, Sb and Pb concentrations were measured in the liver. The Ba concentrations were comparable in the renal cortex and medulla, but lower in the liver of the horses. Gender-related differences were observed for Cd, Mn and Cr, with higher Cd concentrations in the liver, but lower Mn concentrations in the renal cortex and lower Cr concentrations in the renal medulla of female horses. Age-related differences were detected for most measured elements, however, the animal number per age-group was only low. In conclusion, the present study provides important reference data for the storage of Sr, Ba, Cd, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, Sb, Se and Pb in the liver and kidneys of horses, which are of practical relevance for an evaluation of the exposure of horses to these elements, either via feed or the environment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-343) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

In many countries, horses are food-producing animals and the storage of specific elements in the equine muscles and organs can become relevant for human and animal nutrition
The highest Cd and Se concentrations were detected in the renal cortex of the horses, followed by the renal medulla and the liver (P < 0.05)
Higher Pb concentrations were detected in the liver (82.3 (0.00-301) μg/kg) of the horses when compared to the renal cortex (34.0 (0.00-118) μg/kg) and the renal medulla (18.2 (0.00-103) μg/kg) (P < 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Horses are food-producing animals and the storage of specific elements in the equine muscles and organs can become relevant for human and animal nutrition. In Germany, the per capita consumption of horse meat is low (0.04 kg), while other countries like Italy (1 kg), Luxembourg (0.68 kg) or France (0.35 kg) show a higher per capita consumption (Eurostat). Besides the relevance of horses for the food (>1000 μg/kg dry matter) can be found in spruce needles, leaves of fruit-bearing trees and grass (Streit 1994). Since only few information is available on the relevance of Ba for horses or other animals, the present study may help to generate new knowledge on its storage in the equine organs. Since Pb accumulates in the organism, noxious effects can appear as a result of a high exposition (Ciobanu et al 2012)

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Discussion

Conclusion