Trace elements in whole blood of multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Neuroscience
• Trace Element Analysis

Background:

• Trace elements like iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) play crucial roles in biological systems.
• Alterations in trace element levels have been implicated in various neurological disorders.
• Understanding these changes can provide insights into disease mechanisms and potential biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare whole blood levels of Fe, Zn, and Cu in healthy individuals and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
• To determine if observed trace element differences are specific to MS or associated with other central nervous system (CNS) diseases.

Main Methods:

• Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to quantify Fe, Zn, and Cu in whole blood samples.
• Samples were prepared using wet ashing with nitric acid (HNO3).
• A reference group of 35 healthy individuals was compared with 119 MS patients and 13 patients with other CNS diseases.

Main Results:

• Healthy men had significantly higher Fe levels than women; no significant sex differences were found for Zn and Cu.
• MS patients showed significantly increased Zn levels (25-75%) compared to the reference group.
• Elevated Zn levels were more pronounced in relapsing-remitting MS than in chronic MS, suggesting a link to disease activity.

Conclusions:

• Elevated whole blood zinc is not a specific biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Similar, though smaller, increases in Zn were observed in patients with other CNS diseases.
• The causal relationship between CNS affections and Zn elevation remains undetermined, possibly being a concomitant manifestation.