Alterations in trace elements and oxidative stress in lung cancer

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the alterations in oxidative stress and trace elements in patients with lung cancer. Subjects included 29 patients with lung cancer diagnosed by histopathology and 20 age-matched, healthy controls. The lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum samples was calculated in terms of TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances). Serum concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were determined using Varian Spectra AA220 flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Serum concentrations of iron (Fe) were measured by the Ferene assay, using commercially available kit (IL Test Iron) with ILAb 900 autoanalyzer. The mean MDA concentration in lung cancer patients was found similar to that in the control group (0.70 ± 0.15 nmol/ml vs. 0.62 ± 0.14 nmol/ml, respectively (p = 0.096). The serum concentration of Cu was significantly higher in patients with cancer compared to the control group (1.31 ± 0.29µg/ml vs. 0.93 ± 0.20 µg/ml; p = 0.05), whereas Zn concentration was significantly lower in cancer group than the controls (0.78 ± 0.18 µg/ml vs. 1.03 ± 0.25 µg/ml; p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in concentrations of Fe between cancer patients and the control group (0.78 ± 0.55 µg/ml vs. 0.97 ± 0.45 µg/ml; p = 0.244). In the present study, alterations in concentrations of trace elements in serum of patients with lung cancer may indicate abnormal metabolism of trace elements in lung cancer.