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Nail Mineral Composition Changes Do Not Reflect Bone Mineral Changes Caused by Boron Supplementation

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Abstract

Nails have been found to be a non-invasive and readily available tissue whose mineral content can change because of a change in dietary mineral intake. Thus, this study was undertaken to determine whether boron (B) supplementation would change the concentrations of some mineral elements in nails and whether these changes correlated with changes induced in bone. Female New Zealand White rabbits (aged 8 months, 2–2.5 kg weight) were fed a grain-based, high-energy diet containing 3.88 mg B/kg. The rabbits were divided into four treatment groups: controls receiving no supplemental B (N: 7; C) and three groups supplemented with 30 mg B/L in drinking water as borax decahydrate (Na2B4O7∙10H2O, N: 10; BD), borax anhydrous (Na2B4O7, N: 7; Bah), and boric acid (H3BO3, N: 7; BA). Boron, calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), sulfur (S), and zinc (Zn) concentrations in nails were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Parametric and non-parametric multiple group comparisons and post hoc tests were performed and whether a correlation between nail and tibia and femur mineral elements concentrations were determined. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Boron was not detectable in control nails but was found in the nails of the three B supplemented groups. Boron supplementation markedly increased the Ca concentration in nails with the effect greatest in the BA and BD groups. The P and Mg concentrations also were increased by B supplementation with the effect most marked in the BA group. In contrast, B supplementation decreased the Na concentration with the effect most noticeable in the BD and Bah groups. The Zn concentration in nails was not affected by BA and BD supplementation but was decreased by Bah supplementation. Boron supplementation did not significantly affect the concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mo, K, and S in nails. No meaningful significant correlations were found between nail mineral elements and tibia and femur mineral elements found previously. Nails can be an indicator of the response to boron supplementation but are not useful to indicate changes in mineral elements in bone in response to B supplementation.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-TOVAG/112O400) to Prof. Abdullah Basoglu. This study was presented in the Online Meeting of 36th GMS, 7th ISZB, TEMA17, and 13th ISTERH, August 2–6, 2021.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Selcuk University, Konya, 42079, Turkey

    Sema S. Hakki

  2. Research Center of Faculty of Dentistry, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey

    Sema S. Hakki & Niyazi Dundar

  3. Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey

    Seyit Ali Kayis

  4. Faculty of Agriculture, Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey

    Mehmet Hamurcu

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey

    Abdullah Basoglu

  6. Grand Forks, USA

    Forrest H. Nielsen

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  1. Sema S. Hakki
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  2. Seyit Ali Kayis
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  3. Niyazi Dundar
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  4. Mehmet Hamurcu
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Correspondence to Sema S. Hakki.

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Hakki, S.S., Kayis, S.A., Dundar, N. et al. Nail Mineral Composition Changes Do Not Reflect Bone Mineral Changes Caused by Boron Supplementation. Biol Trace Elem Res 201, 215–219 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-022-03151-4

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