Iron and magnesium concentrations of mint accessions ( Mentha spp.)

Wheat breeding in China over the past 80 years has increased grain zinc but decreased grain iron concentration

Background. Despite recent numerous studies, etiopathogenesis, treatment and rehabilitation of children with heart rhythm disorders haven’t been studied well. We paid attention to the significant impact of mineral nutrients on cardiac activity, while addressing to the viable solutions. Aim. To measure the levels of essential and conditionally essential mineral nutrients and to determine any relationships between their concentrations in hair and in the intraoperative biopsy specimens obtained from children with congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders. Methods 55 children (34 boys and 21 girls) aged 6 to 17 years with different heart rhythm disorders and congenital heart disease were included in the study. Levels of 15 essential mineral nutrients (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, chromium, copper, iron, iodine, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc) and 3 conditionally essential nutrients (boron, silicon, vanadium) were measured in hair and in the intraoperative biopsy specimens obtained from children with congenital heart disease using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry. The results of the study were processed using variational and alternative statistic methods with the commercially available software “MedStat”. Results The lack of essential nutrients (K, Mn, Se, Cr, P, Co, S, Cu, Na, Mo) and conditionally essential mineral, Si, in the intraoperative biopsy specimens of the heart and great arteries has been found. The direct strong correlation between the levels of essential (K, Mn, Se, Cr, Co) and conditionally essential (Si) minerals in hair and heart tissues of children with congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders has been determined. Conclusion The deficit of essential (potassium, manganese, selenium, chromium, phosphorus, cobalt, sulfur, copper, sodium, molybdenum) and conditionally essential (silicon) mineral nutrients, and the direct strong correlation between their levels in hair and heart tissues of children with congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders allows using hair as a biosubstrate, which is highly informative for the measurement of nutrients in the human body.

The objective of this study was to compare iron (Fe) concentrations (mg kg−1) of the leaves measured by different methods and to determine the most suitable method to be used in evaluation of iron chlorosis in apple trees. For this purpose, green and chlorotic leaves were collected from 76 apple orchards in 1998 and 1999. Iron concentrations (mg kg−1) of dried leaf samples were measured with 4 different methods, 1 N HCl (Method 1), 0.1 N HCl (Method 2), 0.005 M DTPA (Method 3), and 1.5% o-phenanthroline (Method 4). Total Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of dried leaf samples were also analyzed. Total chlorophyll and peroxidase enzyme activity in fresh leaf samples were measured. The total chlorophyll, peroxidase enzyme activity, Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) determined by Method 1, Method 3, Method 4, and total Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of green leaves were higher than those of chlorotic leaves. On the other hand, no significant difference was found between Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of green and chlorotic leaves, measured with Method 2. Significant relationship observed amongst chlorophyll concentrations, peroxidase enzyme activity, and Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of samples suggests that 1 N HCl method was the most suitable method amongst the methods used in this study for apple trees.

The objective of this study was to compare iron (Fe) concentrations (mg kg−1) of the leaves measured by different methods and to determine the most suitable method to be used in evaluation of iron chlorosis in apple trees. For this purpose, green and chlorotic leaves were collected from 76 apple orchards in 1998 and 1999. Iron concentrations (mg kg−1) of dried leaf samples were measured with 4 different methods, 1 N HCl (Method 1), 0.1 N HCl (Method 2), 0.005 M DTPA (Method 3), and 1.5% o-phenanthroline (Method 4). Total Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of dried leaf samples were also analyzed. Total chlorophyll and peroxidase enzyme activity in fresh leaf samples were measured. The total chlorophyll, peroxidase enzyme activity, Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) determined by Method 1, Method 3, Method 4, and total Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of green leaves were higher than those of chlorotic leaves. On the other hand, no significant difference was found between Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of green and chlorotic leaves, measured with Method 2. Significant relationship observed amongst chlorophyll concentrations, peroxidase enzyme activity, and Fe concentrations (mg kg−1) of samples suggests that 1 N HCl method was the most suitable method amongst the methods used in this study for apple trees.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the primary staple food for more than half of the world’s population, containing essential human nutrients. Essential micronutrients such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are very important in human diets, but bioavailability of Fe and Zn is lacking in the rice grains, contributing to global malnutrition and a need for these micronutrients to be biofortified into rice grains. Most of the popular rice varieties only contain 5.0–6.0 mg/kg of Fe and 14.0 mg/kg of Zn, which is not sufficient for rice consumers. This article reviews the phenotypic variation in Fe and Zn concentrations of diverse rice genotypes, association between environmental conditions and accumulation of Fe and Zn in the rice grains, correlation of Fe and Zn concentrations with other agronomic traits, and also genomic analysis of Fe and Zn concentrations in rice. All of these factors are crucial to developing rice varieties with sufficient amounts of Fe and Zn to improve rice grain quality and address mineral deficiency, which can be accomplished through biofortification, conventional rice breeding, and genetic engineering methods.

Genomics-assisted plant improvement to benefit human nutrition and health

Genetic variability and stability of grain magnesium, zinc and iron concentrations in bread wheat

Performance of biofortified spring wheat genotypes in target environments for grain zinc and iron concentrations

Recent reports of increasing iron (Fe) concentrations in freshwaters are of concern, given the fundamental role of Fe in biogeochemical processes. Still, little is known about the frequency and geographical distribution of Fe trends or about the underlying drivers. We analyzed temporal trends of Fe concentrations across 340 water bodies distributed over 10 countries in northern Europe and North America in order to gain a clearer understanding of where, to what extent, and why Fe concentrations are on the rise. We found that Fe concentrations have significantly increased in 28% of sites, and decreased in 4%, with most positive trends located in northern Europe. Regions with rising Fe concentrations tend to coincide with those with organic carbon (OC) increases. Fe and OC increases may not be directly mechanistically linked, but may nevertheless be responding to common regional‐scale drivers such as declining sulfur deposition or hydrological changes. A role of hydrological factors was supported by covarying trends in Fe and dissolved silica, as these elements tend to stem from similar soil depths. A positive relationship between Fe increases and conifer cover suggests that changing land use and expanded forestry could have contributed to enhanced Fe export, although increases were also observed in nonforested areas. We conclude that the phenomenon of increasing Fe concentrations is widespread, especially in northern Europe, with potentially significant implications for wider ecosystem biogeochemistry, and for the current browning of freshwaters.

At least two billion people around the world suffer from micronutrient deficiency, or hidden hunger, which is characterized by iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin A and zinc deficiency. As a key staple food crop, wheat provides 20% of the world’s dietary energy and protein, therefore wheat is an ideal vehicle for biofortification. Developing biofortified wheat varieties with genetically enhanced levels of grain zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentrations, and protein content provides a cost-effective and sustainable solution to the resource-poor wheat consumers. Large genetic variation for Fe and Zn were found in the primitive and wild relatives of wheat, the potential high Zn and Fe containing genetic resources were used as progenitors to breed high-yielding biofortified wheat varieties with 30–40% higher Zn content. Grain protein content (GPC) determines processing and end-use quality of wheat for making diverse food products. The GPC-B1 allele from Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides have been well characterized for the increase in GPC and the associated pleiotropic effect on grain Zn and Fe concentrations in wheat. In this study effect of GPC-B1 allele on grain Zn and Fe concentrations in wheat were measured in different genetic backgrounds and two different agronomic management practices (with- and without foliar Zn fertilization). Six pairs of near-isogenic lines differing for GPC-B1 gene evaluated at CIMMYT, Mexico showed that GPC-B1 influenced marginal increase for grain Zn, Fe concentrations, grain protein content and slight reduction in kernel weight and grain yield. However, the magnitude of GPC and grain Zn and Fe reductions varied depending on the genetic background. Introgression of GPC-B1 functional allele in combination with normal or delayed maturity alleles in the CIMMYT elite wheat germplasm has the potential to improve GPC and grain Zn and Fe concentrations without the negative effect on grain yield due to early senescence and accelerated maturity.

Choline is required to make essential membrane phospholipids. It is a precursor for the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and also is an important source of labile methyl groups. Mammals fed a choline-deficient diet develop liver dysfunction; however, choline is not considered an essential nutrient in humans. Healthy male volunteers were hospitalized and fed a semisynthetic diet devoid of choline supplemented with 500 mg/day choline for 1 wk. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups, one that continued to receive choline (control), and the other that received no choline (deficient) for three additional wk. During the 5th wk of the study all subjects received choline. The semisynthetic diet contained adequate, but no excess, methionine. In the choline-deficient group, plasma choline and phosphatidylcholine concentrations decreased an average of 30% during the 3-wk period when a choline-deficient diet was ingested; plasma and erthrocyte phosphatidylcholine decreased 15%; no such changes occurred in the control group. In the choline-deficient group, serum alanine aminotransferase activity increased steadily from a mean of 0.42 mukat/liter to a mean of 0.62 mukat/liter during the 3-wk period when a choline-deficient diet was ingested; no such change occurred in the control group. Other tests of liver and renal function were unchanged in both groups during the study. Serum cholesterol decreased an average of 15% in the deficient group and did not change in the control group. Healthy humans consuming a choline-deficient diet for 3 wk had depleted stores of choline in tissues and developed signs of incipient liver dysfunction. Our observations support the conclusion and choline is an essential nutrient for humans when excess methionine and folate are not available in the diet.

Choline: an essential nutrient for humans

The aim of the present study was to measure zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentration in human semen and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in seminal plasma and correlate the results with sperm quality. Semen samples were obtained from men (N = 168) undergoing routine infertility evaluation. The study design included two groups based on the ejaculate parameters. Group I (n = 39) consisted of males with normal ejaculate (normozoospermia), and group II (n = 129) consisted of males with pathological spermiogram. Seminal Zn and Fe were measured in 162 samples (group I, n = 38; group II, n = 124) and SOD activity in 149 samples (group I, n = 37; group II, n = 112). Correlations were found between SOD activity and Fe and Zn concentration, and between Fe and Zn concentration. SOD activity was negatively associated with volume of semen and positively associated with rapid progressive motility, nonprogressive motility, and concentration. Negative correlation was stated between Fe concentration and normal morphology. Mean SOD activity in seminal plasma of semen from men of group I was higher than in seminal plasma of semen from men of group II. Fe concentration was higher in teratozoospermic males than in males with normal morphology of spermatozoa in group II. Our results suggest that Fe may influence spermatozoa morphology.

In calf lenses, cow lenses and human senile cataractous lenses, the contents of iron, copper, zinc, magnesium and calcium were analyzed by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Bovine lenses showed regional variations in the elementary contents, in that the zinc and iron contents were highest in the anterior cortex of both calf and cow lenses and lowest in the nucleus, and that copper, magnesium and calcium contents in the superficial parts were higher than those in the nucleus in both calf and cow lenses. Bovine lenses showed such variations in elementary contents, tending to increase with age, but copper, magnesium and calcium contents registered no variations specifically associated with age, with no significant difference between the calf and cow lenses. Magnesium content was found to be the highest of alle elements in both calf and cow lenses. In human cataractous lenses, calcium and zinc contents were shown to be higher in completely cataractous lenses than in partially cataractous lenses. Calcium content was found to be particularly high in the former group. No significant difference was found in iron, copper or magnesium content between the two groups.

Grain zinc and iron concentrations of Chinese wheat landraces and cultivars and their responses to foliar micronutrient applications