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Oggiano R, Solinas G, Forte G, Bocca B, Farace C, Pisano A, Sotgiu MA, Clemente S, Malaguarnera M, Fois AG, Pirina P, Montella A, Madeddu R. Trace elements in ALS patients and their relationships with clinical severity. CHEMOSPHERE 2018; 197:457-466. [PMID: 29366958 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.01.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2017] [Revised: 01/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
An exploratory study of trace elements in ALS and their relationships with clinical severity was detected. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes irreversible damage in humans, with the consequent loss of function of motoneurons (MNs), with a prognosis up to 5 years after diagnosis. Except to genetic rare cases it is not known the etiology of the disorder. Aim of our research is to investigate the possible role of heavy metals in the severity of the disease. In this study, by the use of plasma mass (ICP-MS), we have analyzed the content of essential and heavy metals such: Pb, Cd, Al, Hg, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Mg, and Ca, in blood, urine and hair of ALS patients and controls; moreover we divided the patients in two groups for disease severity and analyzed the difference among the groups, in order to study a possible involvement of metals in the severity of the damage. Our results suggest a protective role of Selenium, involved in protective antioxidant mechanisms, and a risk factor in the case of presence of Lead in blood. The levels of the other metals are not easy to interpret, because these may be due to life style and for essential metals a consequence of the disease condition, not a cause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Oggiano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences - Histology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giuliana Solinas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences - Hygiene, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Forte
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Beatrice Bocca
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiano Farace
- Department of Biomedical Sciences - Histology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Andrea Pisano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences - Histology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | | | | | - Michele Malaguarnera
- Department of Medical and Pediatric Science, Research Centre "The Great Senescence", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Alessandro Giuseppe Fois
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Pietro Pirina
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Andrea Montella
- Department of Biomedical Sciences- Human Anatomy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Roberto Madeddu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences - Histology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy; National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Rome, Italy.
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