Nano-XRF of lung fibrotic tissue reveals unexplored Ca, Zn, S and Fe metabolism : a novel approach to chronic lung diseases
Falcones, Bryan LU
; Kahnt, Maik
LU
; Johansson, Ulf
LU
; Svobodová, Barbora
LU
; von Wachenfelt, Karin A.
; Brunmark, Charlott
; Dellgren, Göran
; Elowsson, Linda
LU
; Thånell, Karina
LU
and Westergren-Thorsson, Gunilla
LU
(2025)
In Cell Communication and Signaling
23(1).
p.1-11
- Abstract
Synchrotron-radiation nano-X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is a cutting-edge technique offering high-resolution insights into the elemental composition of biological tissues, shedding light on metabolic processes and element localization within cellular structures. In the context of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a debilitating lung condition associated with respiratory complications and reduced life expectancy, nano-XRF presents a promising avenue for understanding the disease’s intricate pathology. Our developed workflow enables the assessment of elemental composition in both human and rodent fibrotic tissues, providing insights on the interplay between cellular compartments in chronic lung diseases. Our findings demonstrate trace... (More)
Synchrotron-radiation nano-X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is a cutting-edge technique offering high-resolution insights into the elemental composition of biological tissues, shedding light on metabolic processes and element localization within cellular structures. In the context of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a debilitating lung condition associated with respiratory complications and reduced life expectancy, nano-XRF presents a promising avenue for understanding the disease’s intricate pathology. Our developed workflow enables the assessment of elemental composition in both human and rodent fibrotic tissues, providing insights on the interplay between cellular compartments in chronic lung diseases. Our findings demonstrate trace element accumulations associated with anthracosis, a feature observed in IPF. Notably, Zn and Ca clusters approximately 750 nm in size were identified exclusively in IPF samples. While their specific role remains unclear, their presence may be associated with disease-specific processes. Additionally, we observed Fe and S signal colocalization in 650-nm structures within some IPF cells. Fe-S complexes in mitochondria are known to be associated with increased ROS production, suggesting a potential connection to the disease pathology. In contrast, a bleomycin-induced fibrosis rodent model exhibits a different elemental phenotype with low Fe and increased S, Zn, and Ca. Overall, our workflow highlights the effectiveness of synchrotron-based nano-XRF mapping in analyzing the spatial distribution of trace elements within diseased tissue, offering valuable insights into the elemental aspects of IPF and related chronic lung diseases.
(Less)
- author
- Falcones, Bryan
LU
; Kahnt, Maik
LU
; Johansson, Ulf
LU
; Svobodová, Barbora
LU
; von Wachenfelt, Karin A.
; Brunmark, Charlott
; Dellgren, Göran
; Elowsson, Linda
LU
; Thånell, Karina
LU
and Westergren-Thorsson, Gunilla
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Animals, Humans, Zinc/metabolism, Iron/metabolism, Calcium/metabolism, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis/metabolism, Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission/methods, Lung/metabolism, Mice, Male, Chronic Disease, Rats, Bleomycin, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Female
- in
- Cell Communication and Signaling
- volume
- 23
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 67
- pages
- 1 - 11
- publisher
- BioMed Central (BMC)
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:39920750
- scopus:85218063176
- ISSN
- 1478-811X
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12964-025-02076-4
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b905eab6-2370-4100-9b20-3bfc99bc8ae4
- date added to LUP
- 2025-02-09 10:07:55
- date last changed
- 2025-06-11 13:42:57
@article{b905eab6-2370-4100-9b20-3bfc99bc8ae4,
abstract = {{<p>Synchrotron-radiation nano-X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is a cutting-edge technique offering high-resolution insights into the elemental composition of biological tissues, shedding light on metabolic processes and element localization within cellular structures. In the context of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a debilitating lung condition associated with respiratory complications and reduced life expectancy, nano-XRF presents a promising avenue for understanding the disease’s intricate pathology. Our developed workflow enables the assessment of elemental composition in both human and rodent fibrotic tissues, providing insights on the interplay between cellular compartments in chronic lung diseases. Our findings demonstrate trace element accumulations associated with anthracosis, a feature observed in IPF. Notably, Zn and Ca clusters approximately 750 nm in size were identified exclusively in IPF samples. While their specific role remains unclear, their presence may be associated with disease-specific processes. Additionally, we observed Fe and S signal colocalization in 650-nm structures within some IPF cells. Fe-S complexes in mitochondria are known to be associated with increased ROS production, suggesting a potential connection to the disease pathology. In contrast, a bleomycin-induced fibrosis rodent model exhibits a different elemental phenotype with low Fe and increased S, Zn, and Ca. Overall, our workflow highlights the effectiveness of synchrotron-based nano-XRF mapping in analyzing the spatial distribution of trace elements within diseased tissue, offering valuable insights into the elemental aspects of IPF and related chronic lung diseases.</p>}},
author = {{Falcones, Bryan and Kahnt, Maik and Johansson, Ulf and Svobodová, Barbora and von Wachenfelt, Karin A. and Brunmark, Charlott and Dellgren, Göran and Elowsson, Linda and Thånell, Karina and Westergren-Thorsson, Gunilla}},
issn = {{1478-811X}},
keywords = {{Animals; Humans; Zinc/metabolism; Iron/metabolism; Calcium/metabolism; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis/metabolism; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission/methods; Lung/metabolism; Mice; Male; Chronic Disease; Rats; Bleomycin; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Female}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{1--11}},
publisher = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
series = {{Cell Communication and Signaling}},
title = {{Nano-XRF of lung fibrotic tissue reveals unexplored Ca, Zn, S and Fe metabolism : a novel approach to chronic lung diseases}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12964-025-02076-4}},
doi = {{10.1186/s12964-025-02076-4}},
volume = {{23}},
year = {{2025}},
}