CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM CONTENT IN CANCEROUS AND HEALTHY TISSUES OF GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT

Studies concerning concentration of biogenic metals in tissues of digestive system are sparse and diversified. The objectives of this study were to determine the mean concentration of biogenic metals: Mg and Ca, in cancerous and normal tissues of digestive system. Research was conducted on samples taken from different segments of human digestive tract. Tissues were taken during biopsy, surgery, and post-mortem from Military Hospital and PROSMED Health Center Patients’ located in Cracow. Samples were mineralized by wet digestion. First, they were dried and after dry mass were obtained the samples were put into digestion flasks and 1cm3 of nitric acid 65% was added to each of them. The samples were heated for about 2 hours, at 105°C. Mineralized material was moved to tubes with a capacity of 10 cm3 and filled with distilled water up to this volume. The resulting solutions were used to analyze the content of selected elements by FAAS method. The results are expressed in micrograms per gram of dry weight of tissue (μg g-1d.m.). Average calcium content is higher in the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract of both healthy women (15890,28 μg g-1d.m.) and men (13040,24 μg g-1d.m.) in comparison with tumor tissues of the gastrointestinal tract of women (5365,19 μg g-1 d.m.) and men (2459,42 μg g-1d.m.). Average magnesium content is higher in the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract of both healthy women (2887,19 μg g-1 d.m.) and men (1112,69 μg g-1 d.m.), in comparison with gastrointestinal cancerous tissues of women (1146,77 μg g-1 d.m.) and men (621,42 μg g-1 d.m.). It was shown that differences between calcium and magnesium contents in the digestive tract tissues depend on the state of health - significantly higher contents of Ca and Mg were present in the tissues of healthy men and women in comparison to the tissues of men and women with digestive tract cancer. Magnesium and calcium have protective properties (they prevent the development of cancer of the stomach and colon).