Abstract
A method for direct selenium determination in human blood serum by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) was developed. Total selenium was measured by ETAAS employing 10 ig of palladium as matrix modifier in a graphite atomizer with pyrolytically coated tubes and Zeeman background correction. Blood serum was diluted 1+2 with 0.1 % v/v nitric acid and 0.1 % Triton X-100. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures for palladium modifier are 1100 oC and 2500 oC, respectively. The measurements were confirmed by the analyses of standard reference material and by the method of standard additions. Reference serum material Seronorm, Trace elements, Serum level 1 (lot JL 4409) was analyzed and the results are in agreement with the certified value. The limit of detection of the direct ETAAS based on 3σ of the blank signal is 0.60 ig L-1 Se in blood serum samples. The precision of the method ranges from 2.06 % to 5.95 %. The obtained data from the selenium concentrations in serum samples from 83 patients show that the content of selenium is relatively low, ranging from 43.91 ± 4.80 μg L-1 for female to 45.21 ± 5.60 μg L-1 for male.
Highlights
Selenium is an essential micronutrient at low concentration but toxic at high concentration whit a relatively small difference between these levels
Relatively high pyrolysis temperatures could be used for selenium determination, so the action of the modifier is to assist and ensure complete matrix mineralization and removal during the ashing step
It was observed that in presence of palladium the nonspecific absorbance signals were remarkably lower, than iridium; this modifier was selected for all further investigations
Summary
Selenium is an essential micronutrient at low concentration but toxic at high concentration whit a relatively small difference between these levels. Selenium is taking center stage as a potential anticancer agent [4, 5] by promoting formation of white blood cells which destroys the cancer cells and is an essential component of more than 10 selenoproteins with multiple biochemical functions. It boosts the immune system [6] by increasing the activity and number of white blood cells and prevents premature aging, degenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, stroke, cataracts, and rheumatoid arthritis. The optimum daily dietary intake of selenium is 55 μg/day for women and 70 μg/day for men [11]
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