title: Investigation of trace elements in pterygium tissue.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we compare the concentrations of the essential trace elements chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), boron (B) and zinc (Zn) in both pterygium and normal conjunctiva and investigate the role they play in the development of pterygium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Included in the study were 38 patients with pterygium and 38 control patients in matching age groups who had been operated on for strabismus or cataracts and in whom conjunctiva samples were collected from the nasal limbus area. All conjunctiva samples were kept at -80 °C until the performance of the biochemical investigations. The B, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn and Se levels in the samples were then measured. The levels of all tissue trace elements were determined by using Agilent 7500a Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cr, Mn, Zn and Se levels are significantly lower in the study group as compared to those of the control group (p < 0.001 for all four values). Regarding the level of B, there was no significant difference between the groups. The Cu levels of almost all subjects in the control group and all subjects in the pterygium group were under the detection limit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that remarkable differences in Mn, Zn, Se and Cr levels exist in pterygium tissues. Further investigation of electrolyte composition of the conjunctiva is needed to understand the genesis and developmental mechanism of pterygium.
authors: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Medical School, Fatih University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Namuslu
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Balci
authors: Mesut
authors: M
authors: Coşkun
authors: Ramazan
authors: R
authors: Yağci
authors: Behzat
authors: B
authors: Cimen
authors: Aysun
authors: A
authors: Çetin
authors: Abdullah
authors: A
authors: Ayyildiz
authors: Hüsamettin
authors: H
authors: Erdamar
authors: Ramazan
authors: R
authors: Yiğitoğlu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001895:Boron / Q000378:metabolism; D002857:Chromium / Q000378:metabolism; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011625:Pterygium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D002857:Chromium; D008345:Manganese; D003300:Copper; D012643:Selenium; D015032:Zinc; D001895:Boron