Journal article
Portable X-ray fluorescence of zinc and selenium with nail clippings-Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation (MINI)
PloS one, Vol.19(10), e0310845
10/23/2024
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310845
PMCID: PMC11498672
PMID: 39441771
Abstract
Zinc and selenium are essential minerals for human nutrition. Reliable biomarkers of zinc status and selenium status in humans are therefore important. This work investigates a novel portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method with the ability to rapidly assess zinc and selenium in nail clippings. This approach used a mono-energetic X-ray beam to excite characteristic X-rays from the clippings. Nail clippings were obtained from the Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation (MINI), a study designed to assess nutrition in a population of women and their breastfed children in New Zealand. Twenty mother-infant pairings were selected to provide nail clippings at two time points (visit 1 at 3 months postpartum; visit 2 at 6 months postpartum). Nail clippings from each mother-infant pairing were divided into three groupings of clippings prior to analysis: those obtained from a big toe of the mother, those from the other toes of the mother, and those from the toes and fingers of the infant. Clippings were prepared and mounted prior to XRF measurement, providing four distinct fragments from each clipping grouping. These fragments were assessed by XRF using a measurement time of either 300 s (visit 1) or 180 s (visit 2). XRF results were determined through both an automated system output and an analysis of the X-ray energy spectrum. Following this assessment of zinc and selenium with the non-destructive XRF method, clippings were measured for zinc and selenium concentration using a "gold standard" technique of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mean ICP-MS concentrations ranged from 122 μg/g to 127 μg/g for zinc, and from 0.646 μg/g to 0.659 μg/g for selenium. Precision, assessed by a relative standard deviation of measurement, was superior for ICP-MS relative to XRF. For both zinc and selenium, XRF results were compared with ICP-MS concentrations. Linear equations of best fit were determined for each comparison between XRF and ICP-MS results. Coefficients of determination (r2) were stronger for zinc (from 0.74 to 0.95) than selenium (from 0.53 to 0.70). A decrease in XRF measurement time from 300 s to 180 s did not appear to adversely affect the correlation between XRF and ICP-MS results. Using the mono-energetic portable XRF method, the correlation of XRF zinc results with ICP-MS zinc concentrations was improved over previous findings, and selenium measurement was reported for the first time. The method may prove useful for future applications to trace element analysis using nail clippings as a biomarker.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Portable X-ray fluorescence of zinc and selenium with nail clippings-Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation (MINI)
- Creators
- David E B Fleming - Mount Allison UniversityNelly Madani - Mount Allison UniversityMichaela G Kaiser - Mount Allison UniversityJong Sung Kim - Dalhousie UniversityErin Keltie - Dalhousie UniversityNatashia Drage - Dalhousie UniversityYing Jin - Massey UniversityJane Coad - Massey UniversityLouise Brough - Massey University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- PloS one, Vol.19(10), e0310845
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0310845
- PMID
- 39441771
- PMCID
- PMC11498672
- NLM abbreviation
- PLoS One
- ISSN
- 1932-6203
- eISSN
- 1932-6203
- Publisher
- PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
- Grant note
- Discovery Grant through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada: 2018-03902 Massey University Research FundSchool of Food and Advanced Technology Postgraduate FundOakley Mental Health Fund
DEBF received a Discovery Grant through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Grant number 2018-03902. www.nserc.ca LB received funding through the Massey University Research Fund, the School of Food and Advanced Technology Postgraduate Fund, and the Oakley Mental Health Fund, Grant number not applicable. www.massey.ac.nz The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/23/2024
- Academic Unit
- Occupational and Environmental Health
- Record Identifier
- 9984738939002771
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