Structural materials, trace-element

Wool belongs to the family of proteins called a-keratins, which also inclnde materials such as hooves, horns, claws, and beaks (31). A characteristic feature of these hard keratins is a higher concentration of snlfnr than soft keratins, such as those in skin. Although clean wool consists mainly of proteins, wool also contains approximately 1% by mass of nonproteinaceons material. This consists mainly of lipids plus very small amounts of polysaccharide material, trace elements, and, in colored fibers, pigments called melanin. The lipids are both structural and free. 

The bones and teeth of humans and other vertebrate animals, for example, consist mainly of a composite material made up of an organic substance, collagen, and a biomineral, calcium carbonate phosphate (see Textboxes 32 and 61). The latter, which makes up about two-thirds of the total dry weight of bone, is composed of calcium phosphate containing between 4-6% calcite (composed of calcium carbonate) as well as small amounts of sodium, magnesium, fluorine, and other trace elements. The formula Ca HPChXPChMCChXOH) approximately represents its composition its crystal structure is akin to that... 

Fluorine is an essential element involved in several enzymatic reactions in various organs, it is present as a trace element in bone mineral, dentine and tooth enamel and is considered as one of the most efficient elements for the prophylaxis and treatment of dental caries. In addition to their direct effect on cell biology, fluoride ions can also modify the physico-chemical properties of materials (solubility, structure and microstructure, surface properties), resulting in indirect biological effects. The biological and physico-chemical roles of fluoride ions are the main reasons for their incorporation in biomaterials, with a pre-eminence for the biological role and often both in conjunction. This chapter focuses on fluoridated bioceramics and related materials, including cements. The specific role of fluorinated polymers and molecules will not be reviewed here. 

Like most trace elements, nickel can activate various enzymes in vitro, but no enzyme has been shown to require nickel, specifically, to be activated. Howevei, mease has been shown to be a nickel metalloenzyme and has been found to contain 6 to 8 atoms of nickel per mole of enzyme (Fishbein et al.. 1976). RNA (ribonucleic add) preparations from diverse sources consistently contain nickel in concentrations many times higher than those found in native materials from which the RNA ts isolated (Wacker-Vallee, 1959 Sunderman, 1965). Nickel may serve to stabilize the ordered structure of RNA. Nickel may have a role in maintaining ribosomal structure (Tal, 1968, 1969). These studies and other information have led to the suggestion that nickel may play a role in nucleic acid and/or protein metabolism. 

A wide variety of solvents, reagents, and structural materials encountered normally in the trace-element analysis of seawater have been analyzed for trace-element impurities by neutron activation analysis and gamma (y)-ray spectrometry.17 Some of the results obtained for 10 trace elements are shown in Table 6.4 and indicate that many substances contain high impurity levels of various elements. Particular note should be made of the high concentrations of zinc in... 

TABLE 6.4 Trace-Element Concentrations in Structural Materials... 

Phytoplankton particulate matter (organic and biomineralized) contains many trace elements. The most abundant are magnesium, cadmium, iron, calcium, barium, copper, nickel, zinc, and aluminum (Table 1), which are important constituents of enzymes, pigments, and structural materials. Carbonic anhydrase requires zinc or cadmium (Price and Morel, 1990 Lane and Morel, 2000), nitrate reductase requires iron (Geider and LaRoche, 1994), and chlorophyll contains magnesium. Additionally, elements such as sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, and calcium may be present as ions... 

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