Structural studies of the biomineralized species of calcified pancreatic stones in patients suffering from chronic pancreatitis

The pancreatic stones (Pancreatic calculi) collected from patients suffering from chronic calcific pancreatitis were studied in a view to explore the constituents involved in the calcification. The calcified stones were characterized by XRD, EPR and IR spectroscopic techniques. The detailed studies indicate that these stones consist of calcium carbonate as a major component, besides phosphates and other protein content. The presence of aragonite phases in the biomineralized stones is also discussed. The EPR spectra gave an evidence of the presence of traces of manganese in different oxidation states, which is used as one of the EPR probes in the present work. The samples were sintered at different temperatures to remove all the organic matter, and their EPR spectra have been studied to obtain detailed information regarding the changes in the symmetry of these stone samples. The X-irradiated sample was also characterized by EPR and the resonance signals are attributed to freely rotating CO2− radicals. The infrared spectrum reveals the presence of many organic bands corresponding to the protein amides.