Disparities of Selected Metal Levels in the Blood and Scalp Hair of Ischemia Heart Disease Patients and Healthy Subjects

Relationship between Copper, Zinc, and Copper-to-Zinc Ratio in Hair and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease according to the SYNTAX Score

Coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be a foremost contributor to global mortality, and the quest for modifiable risk factors could improve prophylactic strategies. Recent studies suggest a significant role of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) deficiency in atheromatous plaque formation. Furthermore, hair was previously described as a valuable source of information on elemental burden during the 6-8 week period before sampling. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of correlation between the extent of CAD evaluated with the SYNergy Between PCI With TAXUS and the Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score with Cu and Zn content in hair samples, as well as with the Cu/Zn ratio in a cohort of 130 patients. Our findings describe a statistically significant inverse correlation between Cu content and the Cu/Zn ratio in hair samples and the extent of CAD. In contrast, no significant correlation was found between Zn content and the extent of CAD. Considering the scarcity of existing data on the subject, the analysis of hair samples could yield a novel insight into elemental deficiencies and their potential influence on CAD extent.

Investigation on the Association of Copper and Copper-to-Zinc-Ratio in Hair with Acute Coronary Syndrome Occurrence and Its Risk Factors

The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) increases every year; however, the impact of microelements on its underlying cause—atherosclerosis—is still unclear. Copper plays numerous regulatory roles in cardiovascular health and was suggested to influence the classic risk factors for CAD. The copper-to-zinc-ratio (Cu/Zn-ratio) reflects systemic oxidative stress–one of the factors in the complex pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Hair incorporates metal ions during its growth; thus, it reflects the metal exposure that occurred over the last 4–8 weeks. The aim of the presented study was to verify the association between Cu and Cu/Zn-ratio content and the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the hair of 133 patients who underwent coronary angiography due to suspected ACS. Additionally, association between Cu and Cu/Zn-ratio and selected risk factors for CAD was analyzed. Neither Cu nor Cu/Zn-ratio levels were associated with the occurrence of ACS, regardless of its type (UA/NSTEMI/STEMI). We did not find a significant association between Cu content in hair and risk factors for CAD. The Cu/Zn-ratio in hair was significantly correlated only with body mass index. The relationship of Cu content and Cu/Zn-ratio in hair with CAD, its risk factors and ACS appears to be complex and requires further well-designed research.

Novel Latex Microsphere Immunochromatographic Assay for Rapid Detection of Cadmium Ion in Asparagus

Recently, concerns about heavy metal cadmium ion (Cd²⁺) residue in asparagus have been frequently reported, and there is an urgent need to develop an effective, sensitive, and rapid detection method for Cd²⁺. In this study, we innovatively combined molecular microbiology to carry out the comparative screening of Cd²⁺ chelators in a green, efficient, and specific way. The knock-out putative copper-transporter gene (pca1Δ) yeast strain with high sensitivity to Cd²⁺ was first used to screen the Cd²⁺ chelator, and the optimum chelator 1-(4-Isothiocyanatobenzyl)ethylenediamine-N,N,N,N′-tetraacetic acid (ITCBE) was obtained. Additionally, a rapid latex microsphere immunochromatographic assay (LMIA) was developed, based on the obtained monoclonal antibody (mAb) with high specificity and high affinity (affinity constant Ka = 1.83 × 10¹⁰ L/mol), to detect Cd²⁺ in asparagus. The 50% inhibitive concentration (IC₅₀) of test strip was measured to be 0.2 ng/mL, and the limit of detection (IC₁₀) for qualitative (LOD, for visual observation) and quantitative detection (LOQ, for data simulation) of the test strip was 2 ng/mL and 0.054 ng/mL, respectively. In all, the developed mAb-based LMIA shows a great potential for monitoring Cd²⁺ in asparagus, even in vegetable samples.

Current applications and future perspectives on elemental analysis of non-invasive samples for human biomonitoring

Humans are continuously exposed to numerous environmental pollutants including potentially toxic elements. Essential elements play an important role in human health. Abnormal elemental levels in the body, in different forms that existed, have been reported to be correlated with different diseases and environmental exposure. Blood is the conventional biological sample used in human biomonitoring. However, blood samples can only reflect short-term exposure and require invasive sampling, which poses infection risk to individuals. In recent years, the number of research evaluating the effectiveness of non-invasive samples (hair, nails, urine, meconium, breast milk, placenta, cord blood, saliva and teeth) for human biomonitoring is increasing. These samples can be collected easily and provide extra information in addition to blood analysis. Yet, the correlation between the elemental concentration in non-invasive samples and in blood is not well established, which hinders the application of those samples in routine human biomonitoring. This review aims at providing a fundamental overview of analytical methods of non-invasive samples in human biomonitoring. The content covers the sample collection and pretreatment, sample preparation and instrumental analysis. The technical discussions are separated into solution analysis and solid analysis. In the last section, the authors highlight some of the perspectives on the future of elemental analysis in human biomonitoring.

Disease Ionomics: Understanding the Role of Ions in Complex Disease

Ionomics is a novel multidisciplinary field that uses advanced techniques to investigate the composition and distribution of all minerals and trace elements in a living organism and their variations under diverse physiological and pathological conditions. It involves both high-throughput elemental profiling technologies and bioinformatic methods, providing opportunities to study the molecular mechanism underlying the metabolism, homeostasis, and cross-talk of these elements. While much effort has been made in exploring the ionomic traits relating to plant physiology and nutrition, the use of ionomics in the research of serious diseases is still in progress. In recent years, a number of ionomic studies have been carried out for a variety of complex diseases, which offer theoretical and practical insights into the etiology, early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of them. This review aims to give an overview of recent applications of ionomics in the study of complex diseases and discuss the latest advances and future trends in this area. Overall, disease ionomics may provide substantial information for systematic understanding of the properties of the elements and the dynamic network of elements involved in the onset and development of diseases.