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

Abstract

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.

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

“…Nonetheless, a subset of studies found a positive correlation [18] or, in some instances, a lack of the correlation [19,20]. Similar inconsistent results have been described regarding the correlation between Cu and the Cu to Zn (Cu/Zn) ratio with CVD [18,[21][22][23].…”

“…Our previous analyses failed to reveal differences in the concentration of Zn and Cu and the Cu/Zn ratio when comparing patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to those diagnosed with CAD [19,21]. These parameters were similar across patients displaying differing degrees of atherosclerosis.…”

“…Individuals with significantly elevated inflammatory markers, active neoplastic diseases, paraneoplastic syndromes, viral or bacterial infection, chronic kidney disease (stages III-V), or who were dying or permanently waving hair in a 3 cm segment counting from the scalp, using any hair product with an increased content of Cu or Zn, and ingesting medications or dietary supplements containing those elements were excluded from the study. This cohort was also previously described in other studies [19,21]. The study was approved by the Medical University of Warsaw bioethics committee and was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.…”

Study on the mechanism of zinc finger proteins ROCK1 and DMD in zinc-mediated cognitive impairment caused by aluminum exposure

“…2D). It is important to note that various factors, such as age, health condition, diet, and intake of other nutrients, may in uence the levels of Zn (Dziedzic et al, 2022). Both a de ciency and an excess of Zn can have detrimental effects on cognitive function (Babic Leko et al, 2021).…”

Copper homeostasis and cuproptosis in tumor pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies

“…In addition, excess copper triggers Huntington’s disease by promoting the accumulation of Huntingtin proteins as well as inhibiting the activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenases ( Mason et al, 2013 ; Xiao et al, 2013 ). Interestingly, high serum copper levels are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic disease, and conversely copper deficiency may contribute to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ( Dziedzic et al, 2022 ; Farrant et al, 2023 ). However, little is known about the mechanism of copper in carcinogenesis.…”