Analysis of elemental distribution in erythrocytes using in-air-micro PIXE and its clinical application

贫血常与多种疾病相关，并因化疗的不良反应而发生。抗癌药物、干扰素治疗和放射治疗引起的贫血日益严重，因此迫切需要开发新的诊断工具。在本研究中，我们建立了空气中微量PIXE分析红细胞中元素分布的新方法。首先，我们确定了空气中微量PIXE分析红细胞样品的最佳条件，证实了改良的Ortega方法适合于红细胞样品的调制。在正常志愿者的红细胞中，元素图谱与红细胞形状相吻合，并倾向于形成致密的小结节。血液透析患者红细胞碎片较对照组明显增多。血液透析患者的铁点倾向于部分聚集，并被分成一到两个间隔。在接受干扰素治疗的慢性丙型肝炎患者中，每种元素都有较厚的分布，并分布在大多数红细胞上，这一发现呈明显的剂量依赖关系。我们的研究表明，空气中微量PIXE分析红细胞中的元素有助于研究与血液透析和干扰素治疗相关的贫血的发病机制。

Anemia is often associated with various diseases and occurs as adverse effect of chemotherapy. Anemia complicated by anti-cancer drug, interferon therapy and radiation therapy becomes seriously, therefore development of new tool for diagnostic technique is desired. In this study, we established new analytical method of elemental distribution in erythrocytes using in-air mico-PIXE.At first, we determined the optimum condition of erythrocyte samples for in-air micro-PIXE analysis, confirming that the modified method of Ortega was suitable for modulation of erythrocyte samples. In erythrocytes collected form normal volunteers, elemental maps fit with the erythrocyte shape and tended to form small dense nodules. Erythrocyte fragments were more conspicuous in hemodialysis patients than controls. Hemodialysis patients showed that iron dots tended to aggregate partially and be divided into one or two compartments. In chronic hepatitis C patients received interferon therapy, each element distributed thickly and spread over most erythrocytes, this finding became apparently in dose dependent manner. Our study suggest that analysis of elements in erythrocytes by in-air micro-PIXE is useful to investigate pathogenesis of anemia associated with hemodialysis and interferon therapy.