Study on the levels of trace elements in mild and severe psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent skin disorder characterized histologically by cutaneous inflammation, increased epidermal proliferation, hyperkeratosis, angiogenesis, abnormal keratinization, shortened maturation time and parakeratosis. Data on the involvement of trace elements in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is limited. METHODS: The elements namely Na, K, Ca, P, S, Mg, Cu, Zn, and Fe were analyzed in the serum samples of mild and severe psoriasis patients with a control group using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Patients were assessed as per standard clinical diagnostic criteria and classified into mild and severe psoriasis groups using Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. RESULTS: In mild psoriasis, the levels of K, P, Cu, and Mg were increased significantly (p<0.001), while in severe psoriasis P, Mg, and Cu were increased significantly (p<0.001). The S and Fe concentrations were decreased significantly (p<0.001) in both mild and severe psoriasis types when compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: There is a disturbance in the under-study element contents and also element-element interdependency in psoriasis serum when compared to controls.

Assessment of serum macro and trace element homeostasis and the complexity of inter-element relations in bipolar mood disorders.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorders are complex neuropsychiatric in nature and are clinically classified as Type I, Type II, and Type V. The etiological factors include environmental-genetic inter-relations. Trace metals play a significant role in neurological disorders. There is very limited information on the role of macro and trace elements in bipolar disorders. METHODS: Trace elements namely Na, K, S, Ca, Mg, P, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn and Al were analyzed in serum samples of 3 bipolar types: bipolar I, bipolar II and bipolar V with a control group using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The patients were assessed as per the standard diagnostic criteria and classified into the bipolar type I, II hypomanic, II depressives and V. RESULTS: In bipolar I (mania), Na, K, P, Cu, Al and Mn were increased significantly (p<0.001). In bipolar II hypomania, Na, S, Al and Mn were increased significantly (p<0.02), while in bipolar II depression, Na, K, Cu and Al were increased (p<0.001). In bipolar V, Na, Mg, P, Cu, and Al were increased significantly (p<0.002), though S (p<0.00001), Fe (p<0.002) and Zn (p<0.004) were decreased in all 3 bipolar groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is a disturbance in the charge distribution and element-element interdependency in bipolar serum when compared to controls. These results suggest that there is a definite imbalance in macro and trace element homeostasis as evidenced by element inter-relationships in serum samples of bipolar groups when compared to controls.

Aluminium in Alzheimer's disease: are we still at a crossroad?

Aluminium, an environmentally abundant non-redox trivalent cation has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the definite mechanism of aluminium toxicity in AD is not known. Evidence suggests that trace metal homeostasis plays a crucial role in the normal functioning of the brain, and any disturbance in it can exacerbate events associated with AD. The present paper reviews the scientific literature linking aluminium with AD. The focus is on aluminium levels in brain, region-specific and subcellular distribution, its relation to neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid beta, and other metals. A detailed mechanism of the role of aluminium in oxidative stress and cell death is highlighted. The importance of complex speciation chemistry of aluminium in relation to biology has been emphasized. The debatable role of aluminium in AD and the cross-talk between aluminium and genetic susceptibility are also discussed. Finally, it is concluded based on extensive literature that the neurotoxic effects of aluminium are beyond any doubt, and aluminium as a factor in AD cannot be discarded. However, whether aluminium is a sole factor in AD and whether it is a factor in all AD cases still needs to be understood.

Quantification of trace elements in normal human brain by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

Eight normal human brain autopsy samples were analyzed for Na, K, P, Ca, Mg, Si, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Fe, Al, Cd, Pb and As in 12 regions of brain (frontal cerebrum, temporal cerebrum, parietal cerebrum, somatosensory cortex, occipital cerebrum, cerebellum, mid-brain, pons, hypothalamus, thalamus, hippocampus and medulla oblongata) using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICPAES). The distribution of these 15 elements varied significantly from region to region of the brain. Potassium was most abundant in nearly all regions of the brain, followed by sodium and phosphorus (mg/g). The concentration of Al was found to be comparatively high and varied in different areas of the brain (58-196 microg/g). Moderate levels of Pb, Cd and As were observed in different regions. Ratios of Al to Fe were found to be high in temporal cerebrum (8.07) and hippocampus (9.05) and these two regions are significantly involved in Alzheimer's disease. The concentration of Na in mole percentage showed an inverse correlation with that of K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Cr. Direct correlation was observed in the concentration of all analyzed elements, which indicated for the first time the direct dependency of concentration of trace elements in one brain region to other regions. The mole ratios between different elements in different brain regions and total amounts of the elements in an average weight of 1.4 kg human brain were also computed. The present study provides new and in-depth data which may be used as base line data for normal human brains.