Micro-PIXE with 3.5 MeV protons for the study of low copper concentrations in atherosclerotic artery

Abstract The onset and progression of many degenerative diseases including atherosclerosis, have been shown to directly link to the presence/absence of certain metal ions. Consequently, the detection of these ions in tissues may improve the understanding of the driving pathophysiology. The Cu content during atherosclerosis development has not been studied due to its low concentration involved. In this work, the Cu level in atherosclerotic rabbit tissue is determined using PIXE with a 3.5 MeV proton beam. The arteries of three animal groups fed with different diets were studied: group 1, rabbits on normal standard diet, group 2, on High Fat Diet (HFD) and group 3, on HFD + Zinc diet. Zinc supplement has been proven to inhibit the beginning of atherosclerotic lesion. The result of this study shows that the Cu levels in all the atherosclerotic lesions were lower than that in the arterial walls of the samples in HFD group.