Elemental Composition of Human Gallstones by Means of  <scp>TXRF</scp> Spectrometry's

ABSTRACT The disease of human gallstone represents the most common disorder in the biliary system and it occurs in up to 20% of the adult population. The supersaturating of cholesterol in bile represents the main reason for forming the gallstones. In the present work, the benefit of elemental analysis with respect to a deeper understanding of gallstone disease is demonstrated. Different types of gallstone (cholesterol, pigment, and mixed) samples have been collected after surgical operations. The type of assignment depends on the biochemical composition. According to the major components, the main types of human gallstones are generally: pure cholesterol, calcium bilirubinate, and mixed gallstones. In this work, the micro‐analytical tool Total reflection x‐ray fluorescence (TXRF) was utilized to quantify the elemental composition of individual human gallstones. For quality assurance, a comparison with an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP‐OES) was conducted for the elements Ti, Mn, Cu, and Zn. A good agreement was obtained between the results of TXRF and ICP‐OES. In total, 21 elements and their detection limits were determined. These elements are: Mg, P, S, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, and Pb. Statistical analysis approaches were used to determine the correlation between the elements in the gallstone. Similarities of the gallstones due to the determined elements were illustrated by principal component analysis (PCA).