Aluminum Levels in the Serum and Myometrium: A Comparison Between Women with and Without Uterine Fibroids

Abstract

10.30699/jogcr.8.5.488 Background & Objective: Aluminum (Al) is used in different industries to produce cosmetics, supplements, drugs, food packaging, toothpaste, kitchen utensils, and antiperspirants. Uterine fibroid (UF) is women's most prevalent benign tumor during the reproductive ages. Since Al can accumulate in the body's organs, it may play a role in the pathogenesis of UF. This study aimed to measure Al levels in serum and uterine samples (normal uterine tissue of control and UF patients, and leiomyoma of UF patients). Materials & Methods: In this descriptive study, we included ten women who underwent hysterectomy (five women due to UF and five women for a reason other than UF). Samples were obtained from serum, normal uterine tissue, and leiomyoma. Tissue and serum samples were digested with nitric acid (HNO 3 ) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Eventually, the Al levels in samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Results: Al level was higher in the serum of the control group compared with UF patients (326.8 ± 360.8 µg/L vs. 211.2 ± 56.4 µg/L, P =0.310). Al level was higher in the control group compared with the normal tissue of UF patients (410.2 ± 244.7 µg/L vs. 300 ± 138.0 µg/L, P=0.465). Besides, leiomyoma had a higher Al level compared with the normal tissue of UF patients (1482.2 ± 2062.9 µg/L vs. 300 ± 138.0 µg/L, P =0.138). Conclusion: The results showed that Al levels of tissue and serum samples in various groups differed, but these differences were not statistically significant.