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Calibrated LA-ICP-TOFMS high-resolution (2 µm) maps of the cellular cementum of Naestved 211C (See Appendix C) depicting the distributions of elements potentially impacted in leprosy, i.e., Ca, Zn, Mg, Fe, and Cu, as well as Sr. Note the weak signal in the Mg map, showing the same enrichment and depletion events as in the Ca, Zn, and Sr maps, with a positive, although weak, correlation to the Mg variations (rho = 0.45 for Ca, rho = 0.19 for Zn, and rho = 0.27 for Sr). Graphic programs used: Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Adobe Illustrator CS6.
Source publication
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 R...
Contexts in source publication
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... is < 5 ppm in acellular cementum and probably at ~0 ppm in cellular cementum (concentrations similar to epoxy: ~10-20 ppm). The cellular cementum of Naestved 211C shows a considerable Fe enrichment of the surface (1400 ppm) and Fe and Cu enrichment of the sub-surface (Figure 4), respectively, of 200 ppm and ~15 ppm. The secondary dentine of Odense 533M has Cu levels close to ~2-4 ppm, while Fe reaches ~220 ppm, although this could be contamination as the epoxy shows similar values. ...
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... teeth, among which the modern Romanian A1651C and R1386M2, and the archaeological teeth Naestved 6C, 305M and C and Odense 533M, present accentuated lines reflecting variations in the Ca levels, often located (and best visible) in the dentine above the roof of the pulp chamber. The higher resolution Ca maps reveal subtle alternating enrichments and depletions in the cementum of three teeth (Naestved 211M, Odense 533M, and R1386M; see also Figure 4 showing calibrated LA-ICP-TOFMS high-resolution maps in the cellular cementum of Naestved 211C). ...
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... uncalibrated LA-ICP-TOFMS overview map of Mg acquired in Naestved 211C reveals that cementum is strongly Mg-depleted in comparison to dentine (Appendix C). At high-resolution (calibrated LA-ICP-TOFMS data), the Mg content in primary dentine ranges from 2000-2200 ppm, while the cellular cementum shows values fluctuating between 1000-1800 ppm (Figure 4). Interestingly, the Mg distribution generally follows the Ca and Zn distributions (rho = 0.45 and 0.19, respectively, p < 0.05, Appendix A). ...
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... observation concerns Sr (Figures 2-4), which appears to covary positively with Ca, Mg, and Zn, although Sr is not an element known to bear any significance regarding leprosy. The strongest positive correlations are between Sr and Ca (in the cellular cementum of Naestved 211C, rho = 0.88, while in Odense 533M rho = 0.57, p < 0.05 for both; Appendix A) as well as Sr and Zn (cellular cementum: rho = 0.77 for Naestved 211C and rho = 0.78 for Odense 533M, p < 0.05 for both). ...
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... the normal physiological Ca distribution and the slight fluctuations within the tissues of the scanned teeth, no significant Ca variations were observed that could be related to the leprosy infection of these medieval and early 20th-century individuals. Alternating enriched and depleted concentrations are also present in the Zn maps (Figures 2-4). The dentine of Naestved 305M and Odense 896M and 914M, for example, shows some marked accentuated bands with strong and broad Zn depletions. ...
Citations
... Even in samples where the NNL is visible (Fig. 3b) and the pCFT falls within the established range (Figs. 5 and 6) elemental changes confirming birth may not be evident. This might be due to the enrichment of zinc from the outer enamel surface reported in other studies (Brozou et al., 2023;Dean et al., 2023). ...
The Neonatal Line (NNL) of the tooth serves as a unique identifier, allowing us to distinguish whether a child survived birth. This line is essential for assessing the age at death of infants from skeletal remains found in archaeological contexts. Our primary objective is to accurately determine the age of infant intramural in-humations from the Iberian Iron Age (8th-1st centuries BC) by analyzing histological sections of tooth germs. Due to their fragility and high susceptibility to taphonomic factors, these samples are challenging to handle. By accurately assessing their age, we aim to classify individuals into various stages of infant mortality, which will help reconstruct infant mortality patterns in these populations. We analyze unerupted and still-forming crown deciduous teeth from 45 infant burials. By calculating Crown Formation Time (CFT) and identifying the NNL, we determine both gestational and chronological ages. We further validate the reliability of NNL identification through Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence (SXRF) elemental analysis (Ca, Zn, Cu) on two contemporary and two archaeological samples. Our histological study reveals the chronological age of 38 infants from Iberian settlements, ranging from the 30th week of gestation to the 2nd postnatal month. The age distribution shows an attritional mortality pattern, with nearly half experiencing perinatal mortality, including preterm births. These findings support the hypothesis that mortality was primarily attributed to natural causes. Our research enhances the understanding of infant life history events in prehistory by combining histological analysis of tooth NNL and CFT, highlighting the technique's potential and limitations.
... Another line of research should obviously involve studying thin sections of hypercementotic teeth (for which permission would be granted to perform a histological section) to better understand the biology and the fine microstructure of cementum. Last, an elemental mapping of key elements (e.g., Ca, Sr, Zn; see [98][99][100]) would provide further valuable information to characterize the deposition patterns of hypertrophic cementum, and about physiology and life history. • Overlapping characteristics in FDMA, indicating likely multiple etiological episodes on the same tooth • 60% with and 40% without preferential apposition of cementum • 40% with maximum elevation of cementum ≥ 190 µm if wear degree ≥ 2 and no preferential apposition • 60% with preferential apposition of cementum and presence of antagonist teeth • Among these 60%: 50% with maximum cementum thickness of ≥1295 µm, and 10% with maximum cementum thickness of <1295 µm, and wear degree ≥ 3 ...
The “teeth-as-tools” hypothesis posits that Neanderthals used their anterior teeth as a tool or a third hand for non-dietary purposes. These non- or para-masticatory activities (e.g., tool-making or food preparation prior to ingestion) have also been described in other past and extant human populations, and other Primates. Cementum is the mineralized tissue that covers the tooth root surface and anchors it to the alveolar bone. Under certain conditions (e.g., mechanical stress, infection), its production becomes excessive (i.e., beyond the physiological state) and is called ‘hypercementosis’. Several studies in dental anthropology have established a correlation between the teeth-as-tools and hypercementosis. The present work aims to characterize the different patterns of cementum apposition on archeological teeth and discuss their supposed etiology. Using microtomography and confocal microscopy, the patterns of cementum apposition (i.e., thickness, location, and surface characteristics) were analyzed in 35 hypercementotic teeth (Sains-en-Gohelle, France; 7th–17th c. A.D.). Four groups were identified with distinct hypercementosis patterns: (1) impacted, (2) infected, (3) hypofunctional, and (4) hyperfunctional teeth. Characterizing hypercementosis can contribute to documenting the oral health status (paleopathology) and/or masticatory activity of individuals, even from isolated teeth. This has implications for the study of fossil hominins, particularly Neanderthals, known for their use of anterior teeth as tools and frequent and substantial occurrence of hypercementosis.
Zinc is incorporated into enamel, dentine and cementum during tooth growth. This work aimed to distinguish between the processes underlying Zn incorporation and Zn distribution. These include different mineralisation processes, the physiological events around birth, Zn ingestion with diet, exposure to the oral environment during life and diagenetic changes to fossil teeth post-mortem. Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence (SXRF) was used to map zinc distribution across longitudinal polished ground sections of both deciduous and permanent modern human, great ape and fossil hominoid teeth. Higher resolution fluorescence intensity maps were used to image Zn in surface enamel, secondary dentine and cementum, and at the neonatal line (NNL) and enamel–dentine–junction (EDJ) in deciduous teeth. Secondary dentine was consistently Zn-rich, but the highest concentrations of Zn (range 197–1743 ppm) were found in cuspal, mid-lateral and cervical surface enamel and were similar in unerupted teeth never exposed to the oral environment. Zinc was identified at the NNL and EDJ in both modern and fossil deciduous teeth. In fossil specimens, diagenetic changes were identified in various trace element distributions but only demineralisation appeared to markedly alter Zn distribution. Zinc appears to be tenacious and stable in fossil tooth tissues, especially in enamel, over millions of years.
Today's women of childbearing age with a history of high lead (Pb) exposure in childhood have large Pb body burdens, which increases Pb release during pregnancy by promoting bone Pb mobilisation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the metabolic mechanisms underlying bone Pb mobilisation and explore the bone metabolism-related pathways during pregnancy. Drinking water containing 0.05% sodium acetate or Pb acetate was provided to weaned female rats for 4 weeks followed by a 4-week washout period, and then rats were co-caged with healthy males of the same age until pregnancy. Blood and bone tissues of the female rats were collected at gestational day (GD) 3 (early pregnancy), GD 10 (middle pregnancy), and GD 17 (late pregnancy), respectively. Pb and calcium concentrations, biomarkers for bone turnover, bone microstructure, serum metabolomics, and metabolic indicators were intensively analyzed. The results demonstrated that pre-pregnancy Pb exposure elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) at GD17, accompanied by a negative correlation between BLLs and trabecular bone Pb levels. Meanwhile, Pb-exposed rats had low bone mass and aberrant bone architecture with a larger number of mature osteoclasts (OCs) compared to the control group. Moreover, the metabolomics uncovered that Pb exposure caused mitochondrial dysfunction, such as enhanced oxidative stress and inflammatory response, and suppressed energy metabolism. Additionally, the levels of ROS, MDA, IL-1β, and IL-18 involved in redox and inflammatory pathways of bone tissues were significantly increased in the Pb-exposed group, while antioxidant SOD and energy metabolism-related indicators including ATP levels, Na+-K+-ATPase, and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activities were significantly decreased. In conclusion, pre-pregnancy Pb exposure promotes bone Pb mobilisation and affects bone microstructure in the third trimester of pregnancy, which may be attributed to OC activation and mitochondrial dysfunction.
