TY - JOUR A1 - Kopp, Johannes Florian A1 - Müller, Sandra Marie A1 - Pohl, Gabriele A1 - Lossow, Kristina A1 - Kipp, Anna Patricia A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja T1 - A quick and simple method for the determination of six trace elements in mammalian serum samples using ICP-MS/MS JF - Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology N2 - In order to assess the individual trace element status of humans for either medical or scientific purposes, amongst others, blood serum levels are determined. Furthermore, animal models are used to study interactions of trace elements. Most published methods require larger amounts (500-1000 mu L) of serum to achieve a reliable determination of multiple trace elements. However, oftentimes, these amounts of serum cannot be dedicated to a single analysis and the amount available for TE-determination is much lower. Therefore, a published ICP-MS/MS method for trace element determination in serum was miniaturized, optimized and validated for the measurement of Mn, Fe, Cu Zn, I and Se in as little as 50 mu L of human and murine serum and is presented in this work. For validation, recoveries of multiple LOTs and levels from commercially available human reference serum samples were determined, infra- and inter-day variations were assessed and limits of detection and quantification determined. It is shown, that the method is capable of giving accurate and reproducible results for all six elements within the relevant concentration ranges for samples from humans living in central Europe as well as from laboratory mice. As a highlight, the achieved limits of detection and quantification for Mn were found to be at 0.02 mu g/L serum and 0.05 mu g/L serum, respectively, while using an alkaline diluent for the parallel determination of iodine. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2019.04.015 SN - 0946-672X VL - 54 SP - 221 EP - 225 PB - Elsevier CY - München ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alker, Wiebke A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Schomburg, Lutz A1 - Haase, Hajo T1 - A Zinpyr-1-based Fluorimetric Microassay for Free Zinc in Human Serum JF - International journal of molecular sciences N2 - Zinc is an essential trace element, making it crucial to have a reliable biomarker for evaluating an individual’s zinc status. The total serum zinc concentration, which is presently the most commonly used biomarker, is not ideal for this purpose, but a superior alternative is still missing. The free zinc concentration, which describes the fraction of zinc that is only loosely bound and easily exchangeable, has been proposed for this purpose, as it reflects the highly bioavailable part of serum zinc. This report presents a fluorescence-based method for determining the free zinc concentration in human serum samples, using the fluorescent probe Zinpyr-1. The assay has been applied on 154 commercially obtained human serum samples. Measured free zinc concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 0.42 nM with a mean of 0.22 ± 0.05 nM. It did not correlate with age or the total serum concentrations of zinc, manganese, iron or selenium. A negative correlation between the concentration of free zinc and total copper has been seen for sera from females. In addition, the free zinc concentration in sera from females (0.21 ± 0.05 nM) was significantly lower than in males (0.23 ± 0.06 nM). The assay uses a sample volume of less than 10 µL, is rapid and cost-effective and allows us to address questions regarding factors influencing the free serum zinc concentration, its connection with the body’s zinc status, and its suitability as a future biomarker for an individual’s zinc status. KW - zinc KW - free zinc KW - serum KW - biomarker KW - fluorescent probe KW - Zinypr-1 Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20164006 SN - 1661-6596 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 20 IS - 16 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - GEN A1 - Alker, Wiebke A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Schomburg, Lutz A1 - Haase, Hajo T1 - A Zinpyr-1-based fluorimetric microassay for free zinc in human serum T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Zinc is an essential trace element, making it crucial to have a reliable biomarker for evaluating an individual’s zinc status. The total serum zinc concentration, which is presently the most commonly used biomarker, is not ideal for this purpose, but a superior alternative is still missing. The free zinc concentration, which describes the fraction of zinc that is only loosely bound and easily exchangeable, has been proposed for this purpose, as it reflects the highly bioavailable part of serum zinc. This report presents a fluorescence-based method for determining the free zinc concentration in human serum samples, using the fluorescent probe Zinpyr-1. The assay has been applied on 154 commercially obtained human serum samples. Measured free zinc concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 0.42 nM with a mean of 0.22 ± 0.05 nM. It did not correlate with age or the total serum concentrations of zinc, manganese, iron or selenium. A negative correlation between the concentration of free zinc and total copper has been seen for sera from females. In addition, the free zinc concentration in sera from females (0.21 ± 0.05 nM) was significantly lower than in males (0.23 ± 0.06 nM). The assay uses a sample volume of less than 10 µL, is rapid and cost-effective and allows us to address questions regarding factors influencing the free serum zinc concentration, its connection with the body’s zinc status, and its suitability as a future biomarker for an individual’s zinc status. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1086 KW - zinc KW - free zinc KW - serum KW - biomarker KW - fluorescent probe KW - Zinypr-1 Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-472833 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1086 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Duydu, Yalcin A1 - Basaran, Nursen A1 - Yalcin, Can Özgür A1 - Ustundag, Aylin A1 - Aydin, Sevtap A1 - Anlar, Hatice Gul A1 - Bacanli, Merve A1 - Aydos, Kaan A1 - Atabekoglu, Cem Somer A1 - Golka, Klaus A1 - Ickstadt, Katja A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Werner, Matthias A1 - Bolt, Hermann M. T1 - Boron-exposed male workers in Turkey BT - no change in sperm Y:X chromosome ratio and in offspring's sex ratio JF - Archives of toxicology : official journal of EUROTOX N2 - Boron-associated shifts in sex ratios at birth were suggested earlier and attributed to a decrease in Y- vs. X-bearing sperm cells. As the matter is pivotal in the discussion of reproductive toxicity of boron/borates, re-investigation in a highly borate-exposed population was required. In the present study, 304 male workers in Bandirma and Bigadic (Turkey) with different degrees of occupational and environmental exposure to boron were investigated. Boron was quantified in blood, urine and semen, and the persons were allocated to exposure groups along B blood levels. In the highest ("extreme") exposure group (n = 69), calculated mean daily boron exposures, semen boron and blood boron concentrations were 44.91 +/- 18.32 mg B/day, 1643.23 +/- 965.44 ng B/g semen and 553.83 +/- 149.52 ng B/g blood, respectively. Overall, an association between boron exposure and Y:X sperm ratios in semen was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Also, the mean Y:X sperm ratios in semen samples of workers allocated to the different exposure groups were statistically not different in pairwise comparisons (p > 0.05). Additionally, a boron-associated shift in sex ratio at birth towards female offspring was not visible. In essence, the present results do not support an association between boron exposure and decreased Y:X sperm ratio in males, even under extreme boron exposure conditions. KW - Paternal exposure KW - Boron exposure KW - Y:X chromosome ratio KW - Sex ratio at birth Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02391-z SN - 0340-5761 SN - 1432-0738 VL - 93 IS - 3 SP - 743 EP - 751 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schwarz, Maria A1 - Lossow, Kristina A1 - Kopp, Johannes F. A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Kipp, Anna Patricia T1 - Crosstalk of Nrf2 with the Trace Elements Selenium, Iron, Zinc, and Copper T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Trace elements, like Cu, Zn, Fe, or Se, are important for the proper functioning of antioxidant enzymes. However, in excessive amounts, they can also act as pro-oxidants. Accordingly, trace elements influence redox-modulated signaling pathways, such as the Nrf2 pathway. Vice versa, Nrf2 target genes belong to the group of transport and metal binding proteins. In order to investigate whether Nrf2 directly regulates the systemic trace element status, we used mice to study the effect of a constitutive, whole-body Nrf2 knockout on the systemic status of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Se. As the loss of selenoproteins under Se-deprived conditions has been described to further enhance Nrf2 activity, we additionally analyzed the combination of Nrf2 knockout with feeding diets that provide either suboptimal, adequate, or supplemented amounts of Se. Experiments revealed that the Nrf2 knockout partially affected the trace element concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, or Se in the intestine, liver, and/or plasma. However, aside from Fe, the other three trace elements were only marginally modulated in an Nrf2-dependent manner. Selenium deficiency mainly resulted in increased plasma Zn levels. One putative mediator could be the metal regulatory transcription factor 1, which was up-regulated with an increasing Se supply and downregulated in Se-supplemented Nrf2 knockout mice. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1081 KW - Nrf2 KW - selenium KW - iron KW - copper KW - zinc KW - homeostasis Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-472873 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1081 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwarz, Maria A1 - Lossow, Kristina A1 - Kopp, Johannes Florian A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Kipp, Anna Patricia T1 - Crosstalk of Nrf2 with the Trace Elements Selenium, Iron, Zinc, and Copper JF - Nutrients N2 - Trace elements, like Cu, Zn, Fe, or Se, are important for the proper functioning of antioxidant enzymes. However, in excessive amounts, they can also act as pro-oxidants. Accordingly, trace elements influence redox-modulated signaling pathways, such as the Nrf2 pathway. Vice versa, Nrf2 target genes belong to the group of transport and metal binding proteins. In order to investigate whether Nrf2 directly regulates the systemic trace element status, we used mice to study the effect of a constitutive, whole-body Nrf2 knockout on the systemic status of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Se. As the loss of selenoproteins under Se-deprived conditions has been described to further enhance Nrf2 activity, we additionally analyzed the combination of Nrf2 knockout with feeding diets that provide either suboptimal, adequate, or supplemented amounts of Se. Experiments revealed that the Nrf2 knockout partially affected the trace element concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, or Se in the intestine, liver, and/or plasma. However, aside from Fe, the other three trace elements were only marginally modulated in an Nrf2-dependent manner. Selenium deficiency mainly resulted in increased plasma Zn levels. One putative mediator could be the metal regulatory transcription factor 1, which was up-regulated with an increasing Se supply and downregulated in Se-supplemented Nrf2 knockout mice. KW - Nrf2 KW - selenium KW - iron KW - copper KW - zinc KW - homeostasis Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092112 SN - 2072-6643 VL - 11 IS - 9 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Başaran, Nurşen A1 - Duydu, Yalçın A1 - Üstündağ, Aylin A1 - Taner, Gökçe A1 - Aydin Dilsiz, Sevtap A1 - Anlar, Hatice Gül A1 - Yalçin, Can Özgür A1 - Bacanli, Merve A1 - Golka, Klaus A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Bolt, Hermann M. T1 - Environmental boron exposure does not induce DNA damage in lymphocytes and buccal cells of females DNA damage in lymphocytes and buccal cells of boron exposed females JF - Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology N2 - Boron (B) compounds are essential for plants and animals and beneficial for humans in nutritional amounts. I animals and humans increasing evidence have shown beneficial effects on B compounds on nutrition and on antioxidant status. The genotoxic effects of environmental B exposure in women living in boron-rich and boronpoor areas was examined in this study. For this purpose, the DNA damage in the lymphocytes and buccal cells of females were assessed by Comet and micronucleus (MN) assays respectively. No significant difference was observed in the DNA damage of the lymphocytes of B exposed groups of female volunteers in Comet assay. Even buccal micronucleus (MN) frequency observed in the high exposure group was significantly lower than the low exposure group (p < 0.05). The results of this study came to the same conclusions of the previous studies that boron does not induce DNA damage even under extreme exposure conditions. KW - Boric acid KW - Boron exposure KW - DNA damage Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2019.03.004 SN - 0946-672X VL - 53 SP - 150 EP - 153 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - München ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Basaran, Nursen A1 - Duydu, Yalcin A1 - Ustundag, Aylin A1 - Taner, Gokce A1 - Aydin, Sevtap A1 - Anlar, Hatice Gul A1 - Yalcin, Can Özgür A1 - Bacanli, Merve A1 - Aydos, Kaan A1 - Atabekoglu, Cem Somer A1 - Golka, Klaus A1 - Ickstadt, Katja A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Werner, Matthias A1 - Meyer, Sören A1 - Bolt, Hermann M. T1 - Evaluation of the DNA damage in lymphocytes, sperm and buccal cells of workers under environmental and occupational boron exposure conditions JF - Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis N2 - Industrial production and use of boron compounds have increased during the last decades, especially for the manufacture of borosilicate glass, fiberglass, metal alloys and flame retardants. This study was conducted in two districts of Balikesir; Bandirma and Bigadic, which geographically belong to the Marmara Region of Turkey. Bandirma is the production and exportation zone for the produced boric acid and some borates and Bigadic has the largest B deposits in Turkey. 102 male workers who were occupationally exposed to boron from Bandirma and 110 workers who were occupationally and environmentally exposed to boron from Bigadic participated to our study. In this study the DNA damage in the sperm, blood and buccal cells of 212 males was evaluated by comet and micronucleus assays. No significant increase in the DNA damage in blood, sperm and buccal cells was observed in the residents exposed to boron both occupationally and environmentally (p = 0.861) for Comet test in the sperm samples, p = 0.116 for Comet test in the lymphocyte samples, p = 0.042 for micronucleus (MN) test, p = 0.955 for binucleated cells (BN), p = 1.486 for condensed chromatin (CC), p = 0.455 for karyorrhectic cells (KHC), p = 0.541 for karyolitic cells (KLY), p = 1.057 for pyknotic cells (PHC), p = 0.331 for nuclear bud (NBUD)). No correlations were seen between blood boron levels and tail intensity values of the sperm samples, lymphocyte samples, frequencies of MN, BN, KHC, KYL, PHC and NBUD. The results of this study came to the same conclusions of the previous studies that boron does not induce DNA damage even under extreme exposure conditions. KW - Boric acid KW - Boron exposure KW - DNA damage KW - Comet assay Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrgentox.2018.12.013 SN - 1383-5718 SN - 1879-3592 VL - 843 SP - 33 EP - 39 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schutkowski, Alexandra A1 - König, Bettina A1 - Kluge, Holger A1 - Hirche, Frank A1 - Henze, Andrea A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Lorkowski, Stefan A1 - Dawczynski, Christine A1 - Gabel, Alexander A1 - Grosse, Ivo A1 - Stangl, Gabriele I. T1 - Metabolic footprint and intestinal microbial changes in response to dietary proteins in a pig model JF - The journal of nutritional biochemistry N2 - Epidemiological studies revealed that dietary proteins can contribute to the modulation of the cardiovascular disease risk. Still, direct effects of dietary proteins on serum metabolites and other health-modulating factors have not been fully explored. Here, we compared the effects of dietary lupin protein with the effects of beef protein and casein on the serum metabolite profile, cardiovascular risk markers and the fecal microbiome. Pigs were fed diets containing 15% of the respective proteins for 4 weeks. A classification analysis of the serum metabolites revealed six biomarker sets of two metabolites each that discriminated between the intake of lupin protein, lean beef or casein. These biomarker sets included 1- and 3-methylhistidine, betaine, carnitine, homoarginine and methionine. The study revealed differences in the serum levels of the metabolites 1- and 3- methylhistidine, homoarginine, methionine and homocysteine, which are involved in the one-carbon cycle. However, these changes were not associated with differences in the methylation capacity or the histone methylation pattern. With the exception of serum homocysteine and homoarginine levels, other cardiovascular risk markers, such as the homeostatic model assessment index, trimethylamine-N-oxide and lipids, were not influenced by the dietary protein source. However, the composition of the fecal microorganisms was markedly changed by the dietary protein source. Lupin-protein-fed pigs exhibited more species from the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes than the other two groups. In conclusion, different dietary protein sources induce distinct serum metabolic fingerprints, have an impact on the cardiovascular risk and modulate the composition of the fecal microbiome. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. KW - Lupin KW - Beef KW - Casein KW - Pig KW - Biomarker KW - Microbiome Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2019.02.004 SN - 0955-2863 SN - 1873-4847 VL - 67 SP - 149 EP - 160 PB - Elsevier CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Li, Mingjun A1 - Schlaich, Christoph A1 - Kulka, Michael Willem A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen S. A1 - Schwerdtle, Tanja A1 - Unger, Wolfgang E. S. A1 - Haag, Rainer T1 - Mussel-inspired coatings with tunable wettability, for enhanced antibacterial efficiency and reduced bacterial adhesion JF - Journal of materials chemistry : B, Materials for biology and medicine N2 - Over the last few decades, there has been a tremendous increase in research on antibacterial surface coatings as an alternative strategy against bacterial infections. Although there are several examples of effective strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion, the effect of the wetting properties on the coating was rarely considered as a crucial factor. Here we report an in-depth study on the effect of extreme wettability on the antibacterial efficiency of a silver nanoparticles ( AgNPs)-based coating. By controlling surface polymerization of mussel-inspired dendritic polyglycerol ( MI-dPG) and post-functionalization, surfaces with wetting properties ranging from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic were fabricated. Subsequently, AgNPs were embedded into the coatings by applying in situ reduction using the free catechols-moieties present in the MI-dPG coating. The resulting polymer coatings exhibited excellent antibacterial ability against planktonic Escherichia coli ( E. coli) DH5a and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus) SH1000. The antibacterial efficiency of the coatings was analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ( ICP-MS) and bacterial viability tests. Furthermore, the antifouling properties of the coatings in relation to the antibacterial properties were evaluated. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9tb00534j SN - 2050-750X SN - 2050-7518 VL - 7 IS - 21 SP - 3438 EP - 3445 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER -