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Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells
Published on: May 16, 2019
Relationship between zinc-related nutritional status and the progression of multiple sclerosis
Ádila da Silva Castro1, Larissa da Silva Albuquerque1, Maria Luísa Pereira de Melo2
1State University of Ceara, Av. Doutor Silas Munguba, 1700, Itaperi Campus. Zip code 60741-000, Fortaleza- Ceara, Brazil; University of Fortaleza. Av. Washington Soares, Zip code 1321, Edson Queiroz, Fortaleza, State of Ceara 60811-905, Brazil.
Background:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system.
Objective:
To investigate plasma and erythrocyte zinc status and its relationship to MS.
Methods:
Cross-sectional study, including 98 participants, distributed in groups: case (MS, n = 49), diagnosed with MS and control (n = 49), matched by age and sex with the case group. Zinc was analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by spectrophotometry.
Results:
Mean plasma zinc was 94.6 (22.1) μg/dL for MS patients and 81.5 (31.3) μg/dL for control group, with statistical difference (p = 0.023). The mean erythrocyte zinc was 83.6 (41.6) µg/gHb for case group and 72.6 (31.5) µg/gHb for control. Erythrocyte SOD activity was above reference values, significantly different for MS patients (p = 0.003). There was a significant direct correlation between erythrocyte zinc and SOD (r = 0.835; p < 0.001). SOD showed inverse correlation with MS outbreaks (r = -0.317; p = 0.027).
Conclusion:
Patients with MS have normal plasma and elevated erythrocyte zinc. Erythrocyte zinc showed positive correlation with SOD, which correlated inversely to outbreaks.
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