Studies on Inorganic Constituents in Biological Materials.—On the Inorganic Constituents in Human Stones

Abstract

Abstract Quantitative analyses of major constituents (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium) and heavy metal constituents (iron, copper, zinc, lead and manganese) were made on human stones (gallstone, urinary and pancreatic calculus) and their respective humours (blood, bile and urine). Then the distribution of these elements and the mutual relations present among them were discussed. (1) According to the process of formation of gallstone (blood→bile→gallstone), the concentration of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus increases, while that of sodium and potassium decreases in case of major constituents, On the other hand, the concentration of heavy metal constituents, copper, zinc, lead and manganese increases. The concentration of iron decreases in the process of blood→bile and then increases again in the process of bile→a gallstone, whilst copper is extremely concentrated throughout these processes. (2) In the process of urine→urinary calculus, each of major constituents increases; calcium, magnesium and phosphorus are extraordinarily concentrated, and heavy metal constituents also increase zinc is especially the most abundant of all. The correlation between lead and the calcification phenomenon in biological materials is observed, for lead indicates the highest concentration ratio in every case of gallstones (203 times that of bile) and urinary calculi (500 times that of urine). (3) Pancreatic calculi differ greatly from the other stones, as their major constituents are calcium carbonate and they contain but little of the other constituents. Among heavy metals, zinc and lead are contained in a relatively high quantity; it seems that special connections exist between zinc and Insulin and between zinc and Carbonic anhydrase. (4) The internal portion of a gallstone that is of layer structure contains a greater quantity of heavy metals than the external portion.