Study of iron, zinc, stable strontium, and lithium contents in biological fluids and tissues in an experiment simulating space flight conditions

Abstract

Atomic emission spectral analysis with inductively coupled argon plasma was used to measure contents of iron, zinc, stable strontium, and lithium in blood serum and its ultrafiltered fraction, as well as the level of their excretion in 24-h urine and hair, in a ground-based experiment simulating space flight conditions. The monitoring of iron levels of serum and its ultrafiltered fraction has shown a proper balance between the indicated parameters at all stages of the experiment. The iron forms bound to protein carriers were identified only in blood serum. The study in the conditions of the experiment has shown the dependence of blood serum zinc content on the nutritional status. The level of stable strontium excretion with 24-h urine can serve as a biological indicator of changes in its homeostasis. The experimental conditions have not been found to affect the form of serum lithium; i.e., lithium was invariably present in the ionized state and its content remained equal to the amount of ultrafiltered lithium in all blood samples investigated in all experimental periods.