Spirulina in the rehabilitation of children with elevated blood lead concentration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2415-8127.2023.67.15Keywords:
ecology, public health, lead, children, hemoglobin, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant protection, spirulina.Abstract
Introduction. According to literary data, almost one in three children in the world has a blood lead concentration (BLC) of more than 5μg/ dL. This value is the threshold for initiating clinical intervention according to WHO recommendations. At this BLC threshold (referred to as the ‘public health intervention concentration’) public health action is recommended in the USA, Australia, France, England. In Ukraine, there are no programs of this scale yet. Scientific work in this direction is rare. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of spirulina in improving the metabolic status in Ukrainian children with elevated BLC. Materials and methods. 33 random children aged 7 to 15 years were examined. The lead content in venous blood was detected by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization. Indicators of morphological and biochemical blood tests were determined by generally accepted methods. Results. About 30% of the children had BLC ≥ 5μg/dL. They had a lower content of hemoglobin and red blood cells, activation of lipid peroxidation processes and a decrease in antioxidant protection reserves compared to children with lower BLCs. According to the WHO recommendations, the children with BLC ≥ 5μg/dL underwent nutritional intervention. As a nutritional supplement, spirulina was used according to the scheme: the first 10 days – 0.5 g 2 times a day, then 1 g 2 times a day for another 20 days. As a result, BLC significantly decreased from 7.56±0.20 to 6.26±0.57 μg/dL, hemoglobin increased from 126.91±2.15 to 137.46±1.46g/L, blood red cells increased from 4.02±0.07 to 4.39±0.05 T/L. The content of diene conjugants decreased from 20.46±1.71 to 13.82±1.27 μmol/L, and the number of sulfhydryl groups increased from 0.93±0.15 to 1.40±0.11μmol/L. The thiol-disulfide ratio increased 1.7 times. Conclusions. Spirulina contributes to the removal of lead from the body and helps to improve the metabolic status in children with elevated BLC. This allows us to recommend this dietary supplement for the rehabilitation of children undergoing environmental lead pressure.
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