Application of spectroscopic techniques: ICP-OES, LA-ICP-MS and chemometric methods for studying the relationships between trace elements in clinical samples from patients with atherosclerosis obliterans

The study was aimed to evaluate the influence of the vascular disease, atherosclerotic obliterans (AO), on the location and concentration of elements in the arterial wall and serum. Use of a modern method for studying element's concentration and distribution in samples of clinical material, i.e. laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, is presented. Elements are not equally distributed between the inner (intima) and the outer (media + adventitia) layer of the arterial wall. Among the studied elements, calcium was found to have an unquestionable role in the calcification of the wall. Increased concentration of calcium found in the inner part of the atherosclerotic arterial wall and in the plaque, as compared to the control arterial wall samples, demonstrates the unquestionable role of this element in the calcification of the wall observed in AO. Applied chemometric methods were useful for demonstrating the differences in the element's concentration in blood serum and the arterial wall samples between AO and the control group.