The relation between selenium, zinc and copper concentration and the trace element dependent antioxidative status

An imbalance in the antioxidative system was connected with the development of a number of pathological processes. In order to receive values of a healthy group and to evaluate pathological changes of the trace element dependent antioxidative status in future, we investigated 99 healthy volunteers (45 male and 54 female, mean age 37.4 ± 11.7 years). We determined the concentrations of Se, Cu and Zn, the concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of the Se dependent glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and the Zn/Cu dependent superoxide dismutase (SOD). The plasma concentrations (mean ± SD) for Se, Cu and Zn were 0.84 ± 0.10 μmol/l, 15.6 ± 2.78 μmol/l and 12.6 ± 1.80 μmol/l, resp., and for non protein-bound and protein bound MDA 0.27 ± 0.07 μmol/l and 1.11 ± 0.25 μmol/l, resp. The activity of GSH-Px in plasma and erythrocytes was 130 ± 20.8 U/l and 19.8 ± 4.18 U/mg Hb, resp. and of SOD in erythrocytes 3159 ± 847.2 U/g Hb. In plasma positive correlations have been found between Se concentrations and GSH-Px activities (p < 0.002, r = 0.31) and between GSH-Px activities and concentrations of non protein-bound MDA (p = 0.004, r = 0.28). A negative correlation has been observed between GSH-Px activities in plasma and in erythrocytes. The higher the concentrations of Cu in erythrocytes, the higher were the activities of SOD (p = 0.03, r = 0.22) and GSH-Px in erythrocytes (r = 0.26, p = 0.01), while an increasing activity of GSH-Px in these cells correlated with a decreasing concentration of non protein-bound MDA (r = −0,31, p = 0.002). An increase in BMI was connected with an increase in protein-bound MDA and a decrease in GSH-Px activities in plasma (p = 0.002 and r = 0.23). As the results demonstrate, Se and Cu concentrations in erythrocytes can improve the trace element dependent antioxidative status.