Domestic dogs as environmental sentinel in comparative toxicologic pathology: Assessment of metals and rare earth elements concentrations in healthy and neoplastic mammary glands
Sabrina V.P. Defourny,
Giulia Caioni,
Mirella Bellocci,
Valeria Melai,
Giampiero Scortichini,
Romolo Salini,
Michele Martino,
Giovanni Di Teodoro,
Antonio Cocco,
Maria Chiara Cantelmi,
Carmine Merola,
Antonio Petrini
Affiliations
Sabrina V.P. Defourny
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Giulia Caioni
Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Mirella Bellocci
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Valeria Melai
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Giampiero Scortichini
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Romolo Salini
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Michele Martino
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Giovanni Di Teodoro
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Antonio Cocco
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Maria Chiara Cantelmi
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Carmine Merola
Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; Corresponding author at: Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Antonio Petrini
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Quantification of trace element concentrations in human and animal tissues has acquired great importance in the last few years, considering the pivotal role of these elements in several physiological and pathological processes. Variations in their concentrations appear to have a role in the development and advancement of diseases in both humans and animals, for example, cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration of rare earth elements and metals in healthy and neoplastic Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) mammary gland tissue of dogs. All samples were processed to have a quantitative determination of inorganic elements including metals of known toxicological interest such as Pb, Cd, Tl, As, Hg, the trace elements Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, and other elements including Cr, V, Mo, Ni, Sb, W, Sn. Moreover, rare earth elements (REEs) (Sc, Y, Lu, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb) were also investigated. Cu and Mo concentrations in mammary cancerous tissue were greater than those in normal mammary glands (p < 0.05). In non-neoplastic tissue increased concentrations of Cd, Co, Ni, Tl, and V were also reported (p < 0.05). The mammary tissue of healthy individuals had greater concentrations of REEs than the neoplastic mammary glands (p < 0.05). The results of our study confirmed differences in mammary inorganic element concentrations between healthy and neoplastic groups, highlighting the potential relevance of these fluctuations in toxicologic pathology.
