The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between the concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) in cartilage, anterior cruciate ligament, and meniscus samples obtained following knee joint surgery in patients with osteoarthritis in northwestern Poland. Furthermore, we examined the relationships between the concentrations of these metals in the studied parts of the knee joint and the influences of gender, age, BMI and hypertension. We found significantly higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, and Zn in the cartilage of men than in women and a significantly higher Pb concentration in the meniscus of the men. We also found a higher concentration of Pb in the cartilage of patients over 65 years of age. There were no differences in the concentrations of the studied metals between patients with and without hypertension. There was no relationship between Ca, Mg, Zn, and Pb levels in analyzed materials and BMI. Furthermore, we noted some new interactions between metals in the studied structures of the knee joint. The results reported in the study shows the influence of age, gender and BMI on the Ca, Mg, Zn and Pb in the studied structures of the knee joint.
Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Cartilage; Meniscus; Osteoarthritis; Trace elements.
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