Bioavailability and physiological traceability analysis

The bioavailability refers to the fraction of a substance which reaches the systematic circulation from the gastro-intestinal tract and which is available to promote its action in the exposed organism. Its evaluation requires therefore to be able to:

• Quantify trace elements at low levels (< mg/kg) in biological fluids and tissues
• Evaluate the speciation of the ingested elements in the same matrices to better understand the mechanisms involved
• By default, evaluate the in-vitro bioaccessibility which indicates the maximum fraction theoretically released in the gastro-intestinal tract

The use of cutting-edge technology allows us to achieve this information and therefore is very helpful to identify intoxication markers, to establish absorption kinetics or to understand the metabolization mechanisms.

Expertise

• In-vitro simulation of digestive conditions
• Trace metals analysis and speciation analysis in matrices such as blood, plasma, urine…
• Development of compounds and/or samples specific analytical methods
• Compilation, interpretation, scientific data popularization

Examples of works accomplished

• Selenium speciation in blood, plasma, eggs, milk, meat, etc…
• Bioaccessibility and bioavailability evaluation of copper, zinc and manganese glycinates in feed
• Evaluation of the aluminum bioaccessibility in various food products
• Arsenic and tin speciation in urine
• Mercury speciation in blood and breast milk

• Speciation of a Pt-based metallodrug in plasma to study the kinetic action of its degradation
• Arsenic speciation in nails
• Trace element determination in the blood of newborns

Analytical devices