Manganese in history
Until recently, in medicine, the use of manganese as a curative element was poorly recognized: it was not until the first decade of the twentieth century that its importance in the medical field was demonstrated.
The "revolutionary discovery" of manganese dates back to 1774, thanks to Johann Gahn, who isolated the mineral in pure form [from www.lenntech.com/]
Generality
Manganese is a trace element, whose chemical symbol in the periodic table corresponds to Mn (atomic number: 25); we are talking about an essential element for every animal species, involved in many important enzymatic processes. In fact, manganese is considered an activator of many enzymes (in vitro demonstration), as well as being an integral part of some metal-enzymes: not surprisingly, many enzymatic classes contain manganese as a cofactor (among them, superoxide-dismutase stands out among all ).
Manganese represents one of the most abundant trace elements in the soil, where it occurs, in particular, in the form of oxides and peroxides. Mainly, manganese is found under the guise of MnO 2, less frequently as MnCO 3 ; manganese has been observed in all oxidation states between +1 and +7, although those +1 and +5 are quite rare. When the mineral is in the +7 oxidation state, manganese turns into a powerful oxidizer.
In nature, manganese is a gray-white metal, hard, brittle and easily oxidizable. [taken from wikipedia].
Manganese and enzymes
Although the exact role of manganese in the scientific context is not yet fully demonstrated, many enzymes have been identified - catalysed by this element - involved in complex cellular reactions.
The balance of health, therefore, strongly depends on many biological processes catalyzed by manganese. To give an idea of the biological importance of manganese, some examples are given below:
- Manganese is a cofactor of superoxide dismutase - a very important cellular antioxidant - and consequently is involved in the processes of protection against free radicals;
- Manganese is able to activate the enzyme arginase, a hydrolytic catalyst involved in the complex nitrogen metabolism (ornithine and urea are produced from arginine)
- Manganese is involved in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, being a cofactor of DNA-synthetase and RNA-synthetase.
- Manganese activates pyruvate-carboxylase, an enzyme involved in the process of gluconeogenesis
[taken from " The oligoelements. Catalysts of our health ”, by Deville]
Biological role
Manganese actively participates in numerous biological mechanisms useful for the balance of health: coagulation, thyroid activity, fertility, immune system, cholesterol, blood sugar, bone formation, etc. Furthermore, this trace element appears to have positive findings for the prophylaxis of some diseases, such as epilepsy, neurological deficits, diabetes mellitus, growth retardation, ulcers, kidney failure, infarction (especially myocardium) and even tumors.
The biological role of manganese in some body systems deserves to be investigated.
As mentioned, manganese appears to intervene positively in the immune system, in order to promote the synthesis of numerous antibodies; also the mechanisms of reproduction seem to be, in some way, closely related to the quantity of manganese in the blood: the lack of this mineral, in fact, seems responsible for a hypothetical decrease in fertility.
Furthermore, manganese deficiency during pregnancy could have negative findings on the development of the bones of the unborn child, increasing the risk of malformations and / or bone anomalies.
A correct blood level of manganese is very useful to keep epileptic attacks under control: it is not by chance that in the blood of patients - especially infants - patients with epilepsy, minimal quantities of manganese are often observed; this suggests that a correct intake of manganese is useful to prevent epilepsy or decrease the frequency and intensity of epileptic seizures.
uses
It is important to emphasize that the importance of manganese does not stop only with the biological sphere: the mineral is essential for the production of steel and iron, thanks to its deoxygenated, binding and exfoliating properties. Not surprisingly, manganese is a widely used metal for the production of aluminum, copper, titanium and stainless steel alloys. Furthermore, manganese can be part of zinc, gold, silver and bismuth alloys in general for particular applications in the electronic sector.
In addition to this, manganese is used for discoloring glass or - at high concentrations - to give it a strongly violet color. With manganese (precisely, with its oxide) it is also possible to achieve a brown pigment, used for natural lands or paints.
In the clinical setting, the potassium permanganate KMnO 4 is used as a disinfectant, thanks to its marked oxidizing properties: in this regard, it is used in water purification and odor control (eg deodorizing discharges). Numerous agricultural fungicides are also formulated with manganese, in particular for the treatment of cereals, banana and vine diseases.
The most important application of manganese in the non-metallurgical field certainly results in the production of dry batteries: manganese dioxide is used as a depolarizer.
