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Fiorin E, Roberts CA, Baldoni M, Connelly E, Lee C, Ottoni C, Cristiani E. First archaeological evidence for ginger consumption as a potential medicinal ingredient in a late medieval leprosarium at St Leonard, Peterborough, England. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2452. [PMID: 38291078 PMCID: PMC10827753 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52422-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Leprosy was one of the most outwardly visible diseases in the European Middle Ages, a period during which leprosaria were founded to provide space for the sick. The extant documentary evidence for leprosy hospitals, especially in relation to diet, therapeutic, and medical care, is limited. However, human dental calculus stands to be an important source of information as it provides insight into the substances people were exposed to and accumulated in their bodies during their lives. In the present study, microremains and DNA were analysed from the calculus of individuals buried in the late medieval cemetery of St Leonard, a leprosarium located in Peterborough, England. The results show the presence of ginger (Zingiber officinale), a culinary and medicinal ingredient, as well as evidence of consumption of cereals and legumes. This research suggests that affected individuals consumed ingredients mentioned in medieval medical textbooks that were used to treat regions of the body typically impacted by leprosy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study which has identified Zingiber officinale in human dental calculus in England or on the wider European continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Fiorin
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, DANTE-Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Charlotte A Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Marica Baldoni
- Centre of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Studies, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Erin Connelly
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Lee
- School of English, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Claudio Ottoni
- Centre of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Studies, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Cristiani
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, DANTE-Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161, Rome, Italy
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2
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MacKenzie L, Speller CF, Holst M, Keefe K, Radini A. Dental calculus in the industrial age: Human dental calculus in the Post-Medieval period, a case study from industrial Manchester. QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR QUATERNARY RESEARCH 2023; 653-654:114-126. [PMID: 37915533 PMCID: PMC10615834 DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2021.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
The analysis of dental calculus (mineralised dental plaque) has become an increasingly important facet of bioarchaeological research. Although microscopic analysis of microdebris entrapped within dental calculus has revealed important insights into the diet, health, and environment of multiple prehistoric populations, relatively few studies have examined the contributions of this approach to more recent historical periods. In this study, we analyze dental calculus from an English Post-Medieval, middle-class urban skeletal assemblage from Manchester, England using light microscopy. We characterize all types of microremains, observing heavily damaged starch and plant material, high quantities of fungal and yeast spores, the presence of wood particles, plant (cotton) and animal (wool) fibres, as well as limited quantities of microcharcoal and burnt debris. We observe the presence of non-native, imported plant products, including New World maize and potentially tapioca starch. We compare our results to similar studies from earlier time periods to reveal the impacts of the significant economic, social and environmental changes occurring during the Industrial period in England, including changes in food processing, food access, food storage, and air quality. We conclude by outlining important methodological considerations for the future study of Post-Medieval dental calculus and propose potential areas of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa MacKenzie
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, YO1 7EP, UK, YO1 UK
| | - Camilla F. Speller
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, YO1 7EP, UK, YO1 UK
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Malin Holst
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, YO1 7EP, UK, YO1 UK
- York Osteoarchaeology Ltd., Bishop Wilton, York, YO42 1SR, UK
| | - Katie Keefe
- York Osteoarchaeology Ltd., Bishop Wilton, York, YO42 1SR, UK
| | - Anita Radini
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, YO1 7EP, UK, YO1 UK
- York JEOL Nanocentre, University of York, YO10 5DD, UK
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Li Q, Luo K, Su Z, Huang F, Wu Y, Zhou F, Li Y, Peng X, Li J, Ren B. Dental calculus: A repository of bioinformation indicating diseases and human evolution. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1035324. [PMID: 36579339 PMCID: PMC9791188 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1035324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dental calculus has long been considered as a vital contributing factor of periodontal diseases. Our review focuses on the role of dental calculus as a repository and discusses the bioinformation recently reported to be concealed in dental calculus from three perspectives: time-varying oral condition, systemic diseases, and anthropology at various times. Molecular information representing an individual's contemporary oral health status could be detected in dental calculus. Additionally, pathogenic factors of systemic diseases were found in dental calculus, including bacteria, viruses and toxic heavy metals. Thus, dental calculus has been proposed to play a role as biological data storage for detection of molecular markers of latent health concerns. Through the study of environmental debris in dental calculus, an overview of an individual's historical dietary habits and information about the environment, individual behaviors and social culture changes can be unveiled. This review summarizes a new role of dental calculus as a repository of bioinformation, with potential use in the prediction of oral diseases, systemic diseases, and even anthropology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Kaihua Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhifei Su
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Fangting Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yajie Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Fangjie Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuqing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xian Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiyao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China,*Correspondence: Jiyao Li, ; Biao Ren,
| | - Biao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China,*Correspondence: Jiyao Li, ; Biao Ren,
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Environmental implications and evidence of natural products from dental calculi of a Neolithic-Chalcolithic community (central Italy). Sci Rep 2021; 11:10665. [PMID: 34021220 PMCID: PMC8140145 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89999-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In this contribution, we investigated the role of plants in the prehistoric community of Casale del Dolce (Anagni, FR, central Italy), through microparticles recovered from dental calculus. The finding of a great amount of pollen types, even in form of compact lumps, could indicate use of natural substances, such as honeybee products and/or conifer resins. This plant-microremain record also suggested environmental implications relative to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period. Additionally, the stability of the tartar microenvironment had preserved starches and other microparticles, such as one epidermal trichome, a sporangium, and fragments of plant tissue, rarely detected in ancient dental calculus. The detection of secondary metabolites in the ancient matrix confirmed the familiarity of this community with plant resources. All these data supply various interesting food for thought and expand the knowledge about the potential of dental calculus in archaeological and archaeobotanical fields with a special focus on palaeoecology.
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Dental calculus. Br Dent J 2021. [DOI: 10.1038/s41415-021-3114-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Miski M. Next Chapter in the Legend of Silphion: Preliminary Morphological, Chemical, Biological and Pharmacological Evaluations, Initial Conservation Studies, and Reassessment of the Regional Extinction Event. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:plants10010102. [PMID: 33418989 PMCID: PMC7825337 DOI: 10.3390/plants10010102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Silphion was an ancient medicinal gum-resin; most likely obtained from a Ferula species growing in the Cyrene region of Libya ca. 2500 years ago. Due to its therapeutic properties and culinary value, silphion became the main economic commodity of the Cyrene region. It is generally believed that the source of silphion became extinct in the first century AD. However, there are a few references in the literature about the cultivated silphion plant and its existence up to the fifth century. Recently, a rare and endemic Ferula species that produces a pleasant-smelling gum-resin was found in three locations near formerly Greek villages in Anatolia. Morphologic features of this species closely resemble silphion, as it appears in the numismatic figures of antique Cyrenaic coins, and conform to descriptions by ancient authors. Initial chemical and pharmacological investigations of this species have confirmed the medicinal and spice-like quality of its gum-resin supporting a connection with the long-lost silphion. A preliminary conservation study has been initiated at the growth site of this rare endemic Ferula species. The results of this study and their implications on the regional extinction event, and future development of this species will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmut Miski
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul University, Istanbul 34116, Turkey
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Sørensen LK, Hasselstrøm JB, Larsen LS, Bindslev DA. Entrapment of drugs in dental calculus - Detection validation based on test results from post-mortem investigations. Forensic Sci Int 2020; 319:110647. [PMID: 33341470 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
For prospective investigation of drugs and metabolites in archaeological and contemporary dental calculus, a sensitive, broadly applicable ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method using pneumatically assisted electrospray ionisation (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed. The dental calculus was treated with citric acid and the dissolution extracts were cleaned using weak and strong polymeric cation-exchange sorbents. The method was validated on hydroxyapatite for the analysis of 67 drugs and metabolites. Typically, the lower limits of quantification were in the range of 0.01-0.05ng for the sample mass extracted. The general applicability of the method was tested using dental calculus material sampled from 10 corpses undergoing forensic autopsy. The calculus material was washed several times before dissolution to remove residual substances originating from saliva, gingival crevicular fluid and blood. The wash extracts and the calculus samples (cleaned calculus material) were analysed using the same instrumental conditions. The dry mass of the calculus samples ranged from 1 to 10mg. The total number of drug detections was 131 in the dental calculus samples and 117 in the whole blood samples. From the analyses of the wash extracts and calculus samples, it was proven that drug residues were trapped in the interior of the calculus material. In 82 of the drug detections, the drug concentrations were higher in the dental calculus than in the blood. Among substances detected in the dental calculus but not in the blood were cocaine, heroin, 6-MAM and THCA-A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lambert K Sørensen
- Section for Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark.
| | - Jørgen B Hasselstrøm
- Section for Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Line S Larsen
- Section of Dental Pathology, Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Health, Aarhus University, Vennelyst Boulevard 9, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Dorthe A Bindslev
- Section for Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark
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D’Agostino A, Canini A, Di Marco G, Nigro L, Spagnoli F, Gismondi A. Investigating Plant Micro-Remains Embedded in Dental Calculus of the Phoenician Inhabitants of Motya (Sicily, Italy). PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9101395. [PMID: 33092237 PMCID: PMC7590007 DOI: 10.3390/plants9101395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Plant records reveal remarkable evidence about past environments and human cultures. Exploiting dental calculus analysis and using a combined approach of microscopy and gas chromatography mass spectrometry, our research outlines dietary ecology and phytomedicinal practices of the ancient community of Motya (Sicily, eight to sixth century BC), one of the most important Phoenician settlements in the Mediterranean basin. Micro-remains suggest use or consumption of Triticeae cereals, and animal-derived sources (e.g., milk and aquatic birds). Markers of grape (or wine), herbs, and rhizomes, endemic of Mediterranean latitudes and the East, provide insight into the subsistence of this colony, in terms of foodstuffs and phytotherapeutic products. The application of resins and wood of Gymnosperms for social and cultural purposes is hypothesized through the identification of Pinaceae secondary metabolites and pollen grains. The information hidden in dental calculus discloses the strong human-plant interaction in Motya’s Phoenician community, in terms of cultural traditions and land use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia D’Agostino
- Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (A.D.); (G.D.M.)
| | - Antonella Canini
- Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (A.D.); (G.D.M.)
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (A.G.); Tel.: +39-06-7259-4330 (A.C.); +39-06-7259-4344 (A.G.); Fax: +39-06-2023-500 (A.C. & A.G.)
| | - Gabriele Di Marco
- Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (A.D.); (G.D.M.)
| | - Lorenzo Nigro
- Department Italian Institute of Oriental Studies—ISO, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (L.N.); (F.S.)
| | - Federica Spagnoli
- Department Italian Institute of Oriental Studies—ISO, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (L.N.); (F.S.)
| | - Angelo Gismondi
- Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (A.D.); (G.D.M.)
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (A.G.); Tel.: +39-06-7259-4330 (A.C.); +39-06-7259-4344 (A.G.); Fax: +39-06-2023-500 (A.C. & A.G.)
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