Associations among plasma selenium, zinc, copper, and iron concentrations and immunoregulatory cytokine levels in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Plasma essential trace elements, selenium, copper, zinc, and iron concentrations and the levels of immunoregulatory cytokines, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2r), IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were evaluated in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) to investigate a possible role of these cytokines on selenium, zinc, copper, and iron homeostasis in CL patients. Plasma albumin levels were measured as an index of nutritional status. Plasma selenium, zinc, and iron concentrations, and IL-2r levels were significantly lower, and copper concentrations and IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in patients with CL than those of healthy controls. There was no significant difference in plasma albumin levels between two groups. There were positive important correlations between plasma selenium and IL-2r, copper and IL-6, and copper and IL-1beta, and negative correlations between selenium and IL-8, iron and TNF-alpha, and zinc and IL-1beta contents in patients with CL. Our results showed that plasma trace element contents change in patients with CL. These changes may not be a result of a specific deficiency from dietary inadequacies or imbalances, but, probably, a result of a part of the defense strategies of an organism that is regulated by immunoregulatory cytokines.