ICP-MS analysis of diet supplementation influence on the elemental content of rat prostate gland

Metabolism of numerous elements is involved in carcinogenesis. Among other, calcium and zinc metabolic pathways coincide with prostate cancer development. It is probable that the restoration of elemental loses can moderate or even stop prostate malignancy. For this reason, studies on elemental content in tissues taken from organisms with cancer are carried out to establish proper supplementation. ICP-MS is a well-established method for the analysis of such a kind of samples. The study aimed to investigate the influence of dietary supplementation on elemental content in the prostate gland of rats with implanted cancer cells. Tested animals were divided into six dietary groups: standard diet and supplementation with Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, or Se. Every dietary group was divided into experimental group (with implanted cancer cells) and control group (without cancer cells). Prostate tissue was dried and treated with microwave-assisted mineral digestion. Total elemental content was quantified by ICP-MS. Student’s t test and analysis of variance with post-hoc Tukey’s procedure were applied to compare treatment and dietary groups. The total content of selected elements (K, Na, Mg, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Sr, Pb, and Se) was quanti-fied, with statistically significant differences in Na, Mg, Ca, Zn, Sr, and Se contents between treatment groups and in Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, and Pb contents between diet groups. High heterogeneity within group could be observed for Zn content in the tissue, confirming the crucial role of zinc in prostate gland metabolism and pointing its inter-individual variability.