Page 24 - SDIR5 Abstract book 21 12 2021.

CANCER AND METABOLISM

Elemental profile of glioblastomas – analysis of blood, cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue

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Jovana Jagodić , Ljiljana Vujotić , Dragan Manojlović , Aleksandar Stojsavljević
1 University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Belgrade, Serbia; Faculty of Medicine,
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University of Belgrade, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia; Clinical Center of Serbia, Neurosurgery Division,
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Dr Koste Torodorića 4, Belgrade, Serbia; Department of Ecology and Chemical Technology, South Ural State
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University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, Innovation Center, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia;
*e-mail: jovanaj@chem.bg.ac.rs

Background: Glioblastomas are the most common and aggressive type of malignant brain tumors (MBTs)
that affect people worldwide. Prolonged exposure to trace elements can contribute to a higher risk of
MBTs. Thus, the primary aims of this study were to examine whether trace elements have a role in the
pathogenesis of MBTs and if any of examined elements/element ratios could be utilized as a blood marker
in MBTs diagnostic evaluation. Data were compared to control groups (CGs). Material and Methods: The
study involved 70 MBT patients and 70 healthy blood donors. After centrifugation of whole blood, serum
was isolated from cell fraction (CF). During a surgical shunt procedure, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was
obtained, and samples of healthy brain tissue (HBT) and malignant brain tissue (MBT) were acquired after
surgery. Microwave digestion was utilized to decompose clinical samples, and ICP-MS was used to
determine their concentration. Results and Conclusion: For the first time, this study demonstrated that
elemental profiles of MBT considerably changed when compared to suitable controls. Higher levels of Mn,
Se, and Pb could have a role in the pathogenesis of MBTs. However, increased U content generated the
most evident changes in all studied types of samples, demonstrating its tremendous relevance as a strong
brain discriminator of the presence/absence of MBTs. Also, the U/Se ratio content could be a suitable blood
marker in the diagnosis of MBTs. These findings could help to improve the understanding of the poorly
known pathogenesis of MBTs.
Keywords: Glioblastoma; Malignant brain tumor; Trace elements.

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