Micro-PIXE studies on gallium incorporation in mineralized tissue

The influence of gallium ions on the development of the mineralization process in a cell culture model was investigated. To determine the elemental composition the proton microprobe in combination with proton induced X-ray emission (micro-PIXE) and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) were used. Micro-PIXE allows a precise quantification of elements combined with their accurate localization. In contrast, the XRF results may be used as a rough estimate of the mineralization process development. It was found that gallium influences the mineralization process in a dose-dependent manner. At low doses an increased while at high doses an impaired mineralization was observed. The amount of deposited gallium correlates with the concentration of the element in the cell culture medium