The Effect of Age and Gender on Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Sr, V, and Zn Contents in Rib Bone of Healthy Humans

The effect of age and gender on major, minor, and trace element contents in the intact rib bone of 80 relatively healthy 15-55-year-old women and men was investigated. Contents or upper limit of contents of 16 chemical elements in the rib bone were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Mean values (M +/- SI center dot I oe) for the mass fraction of Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Na, P, S, Sr, and Zn (milligram per kilogram of dry bone) were as follows: 2.54 +/- 0.16, 171,400 +/- 4,050, 1.35 +/- 0.22, 140 +/- 11, 1,874 +/- 71, 0.049 +/- 0.011, 2,139 +/- 38, 5,378 +/- 88, 75,140 +/- 1,660, 1,881 +/- 51, 291 +/- 20, and 92.8 +/- 1.5, respectively. The upper limits of contents of Al, B, Mn, and V were < 7.20, < 0.65, < 0.36, and < 0.03, respectively. Statistically significant tendency for the Ca, Mg, and P content to decrease with age was found in the human rib bone, regardless of gender. The mass fraction of Fe in the male rib bone increases with age. It was shown that higher Ca, Mg, Na, P, and Sr mass fractions as well as lower Fe content were typical of female ribs as compared to those in male ribs.