Abstract
The prevalence of numerous malignant diseases is on the rise, while the mechanism of metal-induced oncogenesis has not been elucidated so far. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of uranium (U) in blood samples of the Serbian population (n = 305) and to perform a comparative analysis with the amounts of U in the blood of patients with thyroid carcinoma (TC, n = 103) and malignant brain tumors (MBTs, n = 157). This study also aimed to extend data on the tissue sample analysis. Uranium was quantified by inductively coupled quadrupole plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-Q-MS). The content of U was approximately 15 times higher in the Serbian population compared to other population groups worldwide that did not suffer from the war, while its amount showed similarities with the countries that directly suffered from the war. Furthermore, the U content was up to twice as high in the blood samples of TC patients compared to the control, while the U content in the TC tissue samples was approximately 10 times higher than in healthy thyroid tissues and showed a tendency to be higher in follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. However, the highest alterations in U content were obtained in samples of MBT patients, both in liquid clinical samples (serum, lysate, and cerebrospinal fluid) and in tissue samples. The results of this study could highlight the unresolved etiology of TC and MBT. Moreover, the reported results indicated the importance of regular monitoring of U in the blood of the Serbian population.
Highlights
Uranium (U) is slightly radioactive and it can be found in the environment in bound form with silicates, carbonates, phosphates, etc
The parameters of descriptive statistics for U amount in the examined blood samples of a healthy Serbian population are given in Table 1, together with the geometric mean (GM), selected Ps, lower limit (LL), and upper limit (UL)
The obtained results indicate that the amount of U in the blood of control samples and healthy thyroid tissue (HTT) was similar, while the U amount in the blood of TC patients was twice as high on average
Summary
Uranium (U) is slightly radioactive and it can be found in the environment in bound form with silicates, carbonates, phosphates, etc. It occurs most often in the hexavalent state, which is characterized by uranyl ion [1,2,3]. Uranium occurs in nature in the form of three isotopes: 238U (99.275%), 235U (0.720%), and. The result of the enrichment process is the achievement of the desired percentage of the isotope 235U (2–3%) from the original 0.72%, which is sufficient to achieve the quality of nuclear fuel. A by-product of the U enrichment process is depleted uranium (DU). Due to its high density and low cost, DU is used as an efficient material for the production of military weapons [7, 8,9,10]
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