Microelements

These are chemical elements in organisms, necessary for normal vital activity. Their concentration is in thousandths of a percent and lower. More than 30 of them are metals (Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mo, Co, Ni, Sr, and others) and non-metals (I, Se, Br, F, As). A person gets microelements through water and food. Microelements accumulate in tissues that are in a surrounding environment in a soluble form in water. In the body, they are very diverse: about 200 metalloenzymes are known, in which metals act as cofactors (Zn – carbonic anhydrase, Mn – arginase), vitamins (Co – vitamin B₁₂), hormones (I – thyroxine, Zn and Co – insulin), respiratory pigments (Fe – hemoglobin). Microelements are part of biologically active compounds, corresponding to metabolic pathways. Some of them affect growth (Mn, Zn, I – animals, Br, Mn, Zn, Cu – plants), reproduction (Mn, Zn – animals, Mn, Cu, Mo – plants), blood circulation (Fe, Cu, Co), tissue respiration (Cu, Zn), etc. Biogenic chemical elements include oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, iodine, fluorine, manganese, molybdenum, cobalt, vanadium, and selenium. Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus make up the main mass of living matter. The group of vital elements includes Fe, Cu, Zn, I, Mn, Co, Zn, Mo, Se, Cr, Ni, Sn, Si, F, and V. The biological effect of a specific element often depends on other elements as well. Quantitative changes of microelements in the body, related to deficiency or excess in the soil, cause metabolic disorders.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė