Copper and zinc isotope ratios in human bone and enamel

Abstract

Our study demonstrates that the Cu and Zn isotope compositions of dental enamel are promising tools for childhood diet reconstruction. Meanwhile, the Cu isotope ratio of tooth enamel is unlikely to be useful for the identification of biological sex, even in the case of populations with early menarche. Further works are needed to understand the relationships between trophic level and Zn isotope ratios of human remains.

Dynamic homeostasis modeling of Zn isotope ratios in the human body

“…The method might be somewhat biased since the teeth in this archeological population have higher d 66 Zn values than their modern counterparts. 8 However, the estimate of this a P-B is consistent with the value estimated for mice (Table S2, ESI †). In addition, an enrichment of heavy Zn isotopes during the incorporation of this element in bioapatite is expected because of its high content of phosphates.…”

“…1,2 Initial efforts by Stenberg et al (2002) to document these Zn isotope signatures focused on mammal organs with further primary research focusing on humans by Helal et al (2002), Stenberg et al (2005), and Ohno et al (2005). [3][4][5][6] However, it was not until 2011 that studies of human blood, bones and teeth [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] were conducted with large sample sizes. So far, these studies have constituted the bulk of the Zn isotope data available for human tissues.…”

“…The d 66 Zn values of dental enamel were estimated from those of d 66 Zn values in bones after a correction of 0.2% which corresponds to the average difference between the two tissues reported by studies on mammals and humans. 8,20…”

Assessing human weaning practices with calcium isotopes in tooth enamel

“…Information concerning early diet was provided retrospectively by the parents when possible. We also used nine permanent third molars, initially described elsewhere (34,59), for which crown enamel forms between 7 and 15 y of age (58), to assess the long-term trend of Ca isotope composition evolution of enamel. All teeth were collected without identifying data.…”

Copper isotopes as possible neoplasia biomarkers in captive wild felids

“…Since the late 1990s, the development of multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC‐ICP‐MS), thermal ionization mass spectrometry, and isotope‐ratio mass spectrometry has enabled precise measurement of slight isotopic variations of such metals as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or iron (Fe) in biological materials (Maréchal et al, 1999; Zhu, O'Nions, Guo, Belshaw, & Rickard, ). This technique has been used traditionally in archaeology and recently in both human and veterinary medicine (review of Albarede, , ; Jaouen & Pons, ). Measurement of stable isotopes, such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), is used in nutrition research allowing better understanding of (DeNiro & Epstein, , ; Jaouen et al, ; Schoeninger & Moore, ; Van der Merwe & Vogel, ; Vogel & van der Merwe, ) or to monitor the transit of a specific element during the digestive process (Umpleby & Fielding, ).…”