Quantitative analysis of minor and trace elements in blood serum of dairy cattle (Bos taurus) by WDXRF

Abstract

Assessment of heavy metal content in biological fluids is essential to determine human and animal health due to exposure to contaminated environments, food and water. WDXRF is a non-destructive method that involves no chemical treatments. It is possible to perform fast chemical analysis without producing hazardous waste and uses a small sample volume (± 50 μL), which is helpful for veterinary usage. Therefore, this work aimed to implement an alternative method for minor and trace elements in blood serum samples of dairy cattle (Bos taurus) using WDXRF. It was implemented to determine Al, Cr, Co, Fe, Cu, and As. The method was evaluated by comparing WDXRF and ICP-OES results of a set of 14 blood serum samples of dairy cattle using principal component analysis (PCA). Results of WDXRF and ICP-OES were statistically equivalent to all analyzed elements, except for Fe and Al, which were still comparable. WDXRF proved to be a suitable alternative methodology for heavy metal detection in animal blood serum samples due to the low sample volume. The results of this study enable a new and fast method for veterinary internal medicine, which detects elevated levels of toxic elements in animal blood samples to ensure the correct protocols to prevent the animal's death.