Essential and toxic element concentrations in fresh and formalin-fixed human autopsy tissues

TLDR

The study quantified five essential and six potentially toxic elements in seven autopsy organs from 30 subjects using graphite furnace atomic absorption, ICP‑ES, and ICP‑MS, comparing fresh and formalin‑fixed tissues. Formalin fixation minimally altered element levels except for Al and Mn, while the kidney and liver accumulated the most toxic elements, essential elements were evenly distributed, and concentrations varied up to tenfold across organs with Fe highest in liver and Ca/Mg highest in bone, indicating homogeneous tissue distribution.

Abstract

Abstract The concentrations of five essential elements and six potentially toxic elements were determined in seven organs collected at autopsy from 30 human subjects. Elemental analyses were carried out by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, and concentrations in fresh and formalin-fixed tissues were compared. Formalin-fixation long-term storage has little effect on most element concentrations in tissue, except for Al and Mn, which changed with prolonged storage in formalin. The kidney and liver contained the greatest concentrations of toxic elements compared with other organs, whereas the essential elements were uniformly distributed among all organs. There was no more than a 10-fold difference in the tissue concentration of the elements studied among the organs, except for the concentration of Fe in liver, and Ca and Mg in bone. We also demonstrate that these elements are homogeneously distributed in tissues.