Pourfallah F, Javadian S, Zamani Z, Saghiri R, Sadeghi S, Zarea B, Faiaz Sh, Mirkhani F, Fatemi N
Department of Biochemistry, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Iran J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2009;3(2):7-11. Epub 2009 Dec 31.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and zinc/ copper ratio in the serum of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in Qom Province, center of Iran.
Serum levels of zinc and copper were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer and serum iron concentration was measured by using an Auto Analyzer. The study group consisted of 60 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis and the control group of 100 healthy volunteers from the same area who were not exposed to cutaneous leishmaniasis.
There were no statistically significant differences in age and body mass index between the two groups. Serum Zn (P< 0.001) and Fe (P< 0.05) levels were lower in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis than the control group. We also found serum Cu concentration (P< 0.05) in the patient group was significantly higher than that of the control group. However, zinc/ copper ratio (P< 0.001) was lower in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis than in the control group.
Our data indicated that Zn/Cu ratio was significantly lower in patients with CL as compared to the controls. Earlier reports suggest that, this ratio imbalance could be a useful marker for immune dysfunction in leishmaniasis. There was also strong association of Zn, Cu and Fe with CL. It suggests the use of blood zinc, copper, iron concentration and the copper/zinc ratio (Zn/Cu), as a means for estimating the prognosis of CL.
本研究旨在评估伊朗中部库姆省皮肤利什曼病患者血清中锌（Zn）、铜（Cu）、铁（Fe）水平及锌/铜比值。
采用火焰原子吸收分光光度计测定血清锌和铜水平，使用自动分析仪测定血清铁浓度。研究组由60例皮肤利什曼病患者组成，对照组由来自同一地区未接触过皮肤利什曼病的100名健康志愿者组成。
两组在年龄和体重指数方面无统计学显著差异。皮肤利什曼病患者的血清锌（P<0.001）和铁（P<0.05）水平低于对照组。我们还发现患者组的血清铜浓度（P<0.05）显著高于对照组。然而，皮肤利什曼病患者的锌/铜比值（P<0.001）低于对照组。
我们的数据表明，与对照组相比，皮肤利什曼病患者的锌/铜比值显著降低。早期报告表明，这种比值失衡可能是利什曼病免疫功能障碍的一个有用标志物。锌、铜和铁与皮肤利什曼病也有很强的关联。这表明可将血液中锌、铜、铁浓度及铜/锌比值（Zn/Cu）作为评估皮肤利什曼病预后的一种手段。
