Variation of bromine concentration as an essential trace element in human milk over lactation stages

Nor Hidayah Mohd Taufek; Awis Sukarni  Mohmad Sabere; Ummi Syahidah  Mohamad Jamahari; Nur Balkhis  Amran; Abdul Rahman  Fata Nahas; Joseph  Bidai

doi:10.31436/jop.v4i1.257

Authors

Nor Hidayah Mohd Taufek Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
Awis Sukarni Mohmad Sabere Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
Ummi Syahidah Mohamad Jamahari Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
Nur Balkhis Amran Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
Abdul Rahman Fata Nahas Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
Joseph Bidai South China Sea Repository & Reference Center, Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), University Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31436/jop.v4i1.257

Keywords:

Bromine, human milk, ICP-MS, trace elements, nutrition

Abstract

Introduction: Bromine has been newly discovered in human milk but its importance in the growth and development of infants is unclear. Only a few studies have reported the concentration of bromine in human milk and considered it as an essential element, whereas others highlighted its toxicity of bromism in humans. This study aimed to determine the concentration of bromine as an essential trace element in human milk using a validated acid digestion method and discuss its variation over lactation stages.

Method: Human milk samples were collected from three postpartum mothers and analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS). The concentration of bromine was determined over a certain postpartum period, analysed using Microsoft Excel 2016, and reported descriptively.

Results: Method validation parameters for bromine showed good linearity (R² > 0.999), limit of detection (0.003 µg/L), limit of quantification (0.01 µg/L), accuracy (96%), inter-day (3.76%RSD) and intra-day (3.35%RSD) repeatability. The median concentration of bromine in human milk decreased over six months of lactation, in µg/L: 1210, 674, 722, 671, 511 and 538. At later lactation months which were 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 15^th and 21^st, the median bromine concentration was in µg/L: 780, 815, 645, 846, 910, respectively.

Conclusion: The acid digestion method by ICP-MS was robust and accurate in determining bromine concentration in human milk. The consistent variation of bromine in human milk over lactation stages may indicate its importance in supporting infant development in the first two years of age. Future research should explore the role of bromine in infants’ development, its chronobiological importance, and the risk of deficiency or toxicity.

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