TY - JOUR

T1 - Using SXRF and LA-ICP-TOFMS to Explore Evidence of Treatment and Physiological Responses to Leprosy in Medieval Denmark

AU - Brozou, Anastasia

AU - Mannino, Marcello A.

AU - Van Malderen, Stijn J.M.

AU - Garrevoet, Jan

AU - Pubert, Eric

AU - Fuller, Benjamin T.

AU - Dean, M. Christopher

AU - Colard, Thomas

AU - Santos, Frédéric

AU - Lynnerup, Niels

AU - Boldsen, Jesper L.

AU - Jørkov, Marie Louise

AU - Soficaru, Andrei Dorian

AU - Vincze, Laszlo

AU - Le Cabec, Adeline

N1 - Funding Information: The SXRF data were acquired on the PETRA III P06 beamline at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY, Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF. The experiment was performed using beamtime granted by Proposal I-20190203 and supported partly through Maxwell computational resources operated at DESY. A. Brozou acknowledges the funding provided by the Faculty of Arts (Aarhus University) to finance her Ph.D. position. M.C. Dean is supported by the Calleva Foundation at CHER, Natural History Museum, London. M.A. Mannino is indebted to the Aarhus University Research Foundation, which funded the analyses that initiated the project and enabled the sample selection (project: “Danish & European Diets in Time”; AUFF-E-2015-FLS-8-2).

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Leprosy can lead to blood depletion in Zn, Ca, Mg, and Fe and blood enrichment in Cu. In late medieval Europe, minerals were used to treat leprosy. Here, physiological responses to leprosy and possible evidence of treatment are investigated in enamel, dentine, and cementum of leprosy sufferers from medieval Denmark (n = 12) and early 20th century Romania (n = 2). Using SXRF and LA-ICP-TOFMS, 12 elements were mapped in 15 tooth thin sections, and the statistical covariation of paired elements was computed to assess their biological relevance. The results show marked covariations in the Zn, Ca, and Mg distributions, which are compatible with clinical studies but cannot be directly attributed to leprosy. Minerals used historically as a treatment for leprosy show no detectable intake (As, Hg) or a diffuse distribution (Pb) related to daily ingestion. Intense Pb enrichments indicate acute incorporations of Pb, potentially through the administration of Pb-enriched medication or the mobilization of Pb from bone stores to the bloodstream during intense physiological stress related to leprosy. However, comparisons with a healthy control group are needed to ascertain these interpretations. The positive correlations and the patterns observed between Pb and essential elements may indicate underlying pathophysiological conditions, demonstrating the potential of SXRF and LA-ICP-TOFMS for paleopathological investigations.

AB - Leprosy can lead to blood depletion in Zn, Ca, Mg, and Fe and blood enrichment in Cu. In late medieval Europe, minerals were used to treat leprosy. Here, physiological responses to leprosy and possible evidence of treatment are investigated in enamel, dentine, and cementum of leprosy sufferers from medieval Denmark (n = 12) and early 20th century Romania (n = 2). Using SXRF and LA-ICP-TOFMS, 12 elements were mapped in 15 tooth thin sections, and the statistical covariation of paired elements was computed to assess their biological relevance. The results show marked covariations in the Zn, Ca, and Mg distributions, which are compatible with clinical studies but cannot be directly attributed to leprosy. Minerals used historically as a treatment for leprosy show no detectable intake (As, Hg) or a diffuse distribution (Pb) related to daily ingestion. Intense Pb enrichments indicate acute incorporations of Pb, potentially through the administration of Pb-enriched medication or the mobilization of Pb from bone stores to the bloodstream during intense physiological stress related to leprosy. However, comparisons with a healthy control group are needed to ascertain these interpretations. The positive correlations and the patterns observed between Pb and essential elements may indicate underlying pathophysiological conditions, demonstrating the potential of SXRF and LA-ICP-TOFMS for paleopathological investigations.

KW - calcium

KW - dental tissues

KW - lead

KW - leprosy treatment

KW - mineral imbalances

KW - zinc

U2 - 10.3390/biology12020184

DO - 10.3390/biology12020184

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36829463

AN - SCOPUS:85148941471

VL - 12

JO - Biology

JF - Biology

SN - 2079-7737

IS - 2

M1 - 184

ER -