Agarwal Soumya, Singh Shivani, Singh Sonal, Tiwari Vandana, Singh Vikram
Department of Dermatology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Department of Biochemistry, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Indian Dermatol Online J. 2025 Sep 1;16(5):725-731. doi: 10.4103/idoj.idoj_954_24. Epub 2025 Aug 19.
Acne vulgaris is one of the most problematic skin disorders among young adults with evolving etiopathogenesis. The study aimed to determine the correlation between serum levels of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and Cu/Pb, Cu/Hg, Cu/Cd, Cu/Se, and Cu/Zn ratios in patients of acne vulgaris.
In our study, we enrolled 139 acne vulgaris patients as cases and 86 normal adults as controls. Using the global acne grading system (GAGS score), these cases were categorized into mild (n 1 = 32), moderate (n 2 = 82), and severe (n 3 = 25). Venous blood samples of all study participants (aged 15-25 years) were examined for serum levels of zinc, copper, selenium, lead, mercury, and cadmium using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). SPSS.21 version software was used for the analysis of data.
We noted statistically significant ( P value < 0.001, student's t test) difference in mean serum levels of Cu, Zn, Se, Pb, and Hg (microgram/liter) between cases and controls denoted as 2773.60 ± 1234.45 vs.1672.10 ± 696.70, 904.19 ± 644.48 vs.1621.50 ± 554.80, 175.24 ± 88.96 vs.292.86 ± 119.39, 0.84 ± 0.18 vs.0.10 ± 0.02, 2.61 ± 0.42 vs.1.99 ± 0.72, respectively. Serum Cd was undetectable in all the study participants. Low levels of serum Cu, and Cu/Se ratio and high levels of Pb, Hg, Cu/Hg, and Cu/Pb ratios were associated with the severity of acne vulgaris ( P value < 0.001). A significantly low Cu/Zn ratio was observed in cases compared to controls.
Small sample size and non-assessment of the method of cooking.
Low levels of Zn and Se, and high levels of Pb and Hg could play a crucial role in the etiopathogenesis of acne, especially in moderate to severe cases. Copper, which, although elevated overall in acne cases, was found to be lower in severe cases compared to mild and moderate cases.
寻常痤疮是年轻成年人中最具问题的皮肤疾病之一，其发病机制不断演变。本研究旨在确定寻常痤疮患者血清中铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）、硒（Se）、铅（Pb）、汞（Hg）、镉（Cd）水平以及Cu/Pb、Cu/Hg、Cu/Cd、Cu/Se和Cu/Zn比值之间的相关性。
在我们的研究中，纳入了139例寻常痤疮患者作为病例组，86例正常成年人作为对照组。使用全球痤疮分级系统（GAGS评分），将这些病例分为轻度（n1 = 32）、中度（n2 = 82）和重度（n3 = 25）。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICPMS）检测所有研究参与者（年龄在15 - 25岁之间）的静脉血样本中的锌、铜、硒、铅、汞和镉水平。使用SPSS.21版软件进行数据分析。
我们注意到病例组和对照组之间血清Cu、Zn、Se、Pb和Hg（微克/升）的平均水平存在统计学显著差异（P值<0.001，学生t检验），分别为2773.60±1234.45与1672.10±696.70、904.19±644.48与1621.50±554.80、175.24±88.96与292.86±119.39、0.84±0.18与0.10±0.02、2.61±0.42与1.99±0.72。所有研究参与者的血清Cd均未检测到。血清Cu、Cu/Se比值低以及Pb、Hg、Cu/Hg和Cu/Pb比值高与寻常痤疮的严重程度相关（P值<0.001）。与对照组相比，病例组中观察到显著低的Cu/Zn比值。
样本量小且未评估烹饪方法。
低水平的Zn和Se以及高水平的Pb和Hg可能在痤疮的发病机制中起关键作用，尤其是在中度至重度病例中。铜虽然在痤疮病例中总体升高，但与轻度和中度病例相比，在重度病例中发现较低。
