Spectroscopic screening for the speciation of europium and curium in the gastrointestinal tract

Lanthanide and actinide elements are exogenous metals, which have no essential role in normal biochemistry. Through different processes these heavy metals could be potentially released into the environment where they could be further incorporated into the food chain. Because of their potential chemical- and radiotoxicity, it is important to understand their chemical and biological behavior in the human body. This study focuses particularly on the biochemical behavior of Ln(III) and An(III) in the human gastrointestinal tract. To this end, a spectroscopic screening was performed for Eu(III), as a representative of Ln(III) and An(III), by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) to identify their possible binding partners in the human gastrointestinal system simulated by using an in vitro digestion model.