RESEARCH ARTICLE Hair trace elementary profiles in aging rodents and primates: links to altered cell homeodynamics and disease Mirela Ambeskovic • Eberhard Fuchs • Pierre Beaumier • Michael Gerken • Gerlinde A. Metz Received: 8 July 2013 / Accepted: 4 September 2013 / Published online: 22 September 2013 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 Abstract Aging is associated with an increased incidence of pathological conditions such as neurode- generation, cardiovascular and renal disease, and cancer. These conditions are believed to be linked to a disruption in cell homeodynamics, which is regu- lated by essential trace elements. In this study we used hair elementary analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) to examine age- related profiles of 47 elements in both rats and common marmoset monkeys. Hair was collected from young adult (6 months) and aged (18 months) Long– Evans male rats, and young adult (2 years), middle- aged (4 years) and aged ( [ 8 years) marmosets. The results revealed that aging reduces content levels of cobalt, potassium and selenium while content levels of aluminium, arsenic, boron, mercury, molybdenum, and titanium were elevated in aged rats. Similarly, aged marmosets showed reduced levels of cobalt and elevated levels of aluminium. Case studies in aged rats revealed that myocardial infarction was associated with elevated levels of sodium, potassium and cad- mium and reduced zinc, while renal failure was linked to elevated content of potassium, chloride and boron and reduced contents of manganese. Carcinoma was linked to elevated arsenic and reduced selenium levels. These findings indicate that hair elementary profiles in healthy aging and age-related diseases reflect altered cell and organ metabolic functions. Cobalt and aluminium in particular may serve as biomarkers of aging in animal models. Thus, elemen- tary deposition in hair may have predictive and diagnostic value in age-related pathological condi- tions, including cardiovascular and kidney disease and cancer. Keywords Aging Á Age-related diseases Á Metabolism Á Trace minerals Á Homeodynamics Á Neurodegeneration Á Renal failure Á Myocardial infarction Á Carcinoma Á Marmosets Á Rats M. Ambeskovic Á G. A. Metz (&) Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada e-mail: gerlinde.metz@uleth.ca M. Ambeskovic e-mail: mirela.ambeskovic@uleth.ca E. Fuchs German Primate Center, Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Go ¨ttingen, Germany E. Fuchs Department of Neurology, University of Go ¨ttingen, Go ¨ttingen, Germany P. Beaumier CanAlt Health Laboratories, 242 Applewood Crescent, Unit 3, Concord, ON L4K 4E5, Canada M. Gerken Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada 123 Biogerontology (2013) 14:557–567 DOI 10.1007/s10522-013-9464-1