Human lung tissue, as an interface with the environment, is susceptible to various environmental pollutants, including trace metals. However, quantitative data on trace metals in human lung tissues remain poorly described. This study aimed to characterize the elemental composition of histologically healthy, unaffected parts of human lung tissues, associated with non-infective, non-infiltrative, and non-malignant diseases (n = 60) for essential (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, and Se) and toxic trace elements (Sr, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb). Additionally, we investigated the influence of personal factors (sex, age, and smoking habits) on the examined trace element profiles, as well as between the trace elements correlations in the healthy human lungs. Among the analyzed trace elements, Fe was the most prevalent, while As was the least prevalent in healthy lung tissues. Stratifying by age revealed significantly higher Cr and Co (less Sr, Ni, and Pb) and lower Se levels in older individuals (above 65 years) compared to their younger counterparts. Sex-based differences were also notable, with Cu and Co 1.2- and 2.3-fold higher levels in females than in males. Exploring the impact of smoking habits revealed a striking 10-fold increase in Cd levels in the lung tissues of smokers compared to non-smokers. Correlation analyses showed significant positive associations between concentrations of certain toxic and essential trace elements in healthy lung tissues. This study could contribute to the establishment of baseline intervals for essential and toxic trace elements, valuable for toxicological and clinical assessment, in healthy, unaffected human lungs, and indicates the influence of sex, age, and smoking. However, further larger-scale studies are needed to make more stable conclusions.

中文翻译：

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健康肺组织中微量元素的定量分析和基线区间

人体肺组织作为与环境的界面，容易受到各种环境污染物的影响，包括微量金属。然而，人类肺组织中痕量金属的定量数据仍然知之甚少。本研究旨在表征与非感染性、非浸润性和非恶性疾病 (n = 60) 相关的人体肺组织的组织学健康、未受影响部分的元素组成（Cr、Mn、Fe、Co、 Cu、Zn 和 Se）和有毒微量元素（Sr、Ni、As、Cd 和 Pb）。此外，我们还研究了个人因素（性别、年龄和吸烟习惯）对所检查的微量元素分布的影响，以及健康人肺部中微量元素之间的相关性。在分析的微量元素中，健康肺组织中铁含量最高，而砷含量最低。按年龄分层显示，与年轻人群相比，老年个体（65 岁以上）的 Cr 和 Co 含量显着升高（Sr、Ni 和 Pb 含量降低），而 Se 含量显着降低。性别差异也很显着，女性的铜和钴含量分别比男性高 1.2 倍和 2.3 倍。探索吸烟习惯的影响发现，与不吸烟者相比，吸烟者肺组织中的镉含量显着增加了 10 倍。相关分析显示健康肺组织中某些有毒元素和必需微量元素的浓度之间存在显着的正相关。这项研究有助于建立健康、未受影响的人肺中必需和有毒微量元素的基线间隔，这对于毒理学和临床评估很有价值，并表明性别、年龄和吸烟的影响。然而，还需要进一步更大规模的研究才能得出更稳定的结论。