Trace elements and some extracellular antioxidant proteins levels in serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic progressive autoimmune disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical and immunological abnormalities. In this study, we aimed to investigate the levels of serum zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), ceruloplasmin (Cp), transferrin (Trf), and albumin (Alb) in SLE and whether it is related to the severity of the clinical condition of this chronic disease. Cp and Cu levels were higher, while Trf, Alb, Zn, Mg, Mn, and Fe levels were lower in serum of patients with SLE (n = 27) compared with healthy controls (n = 20). The mechanisms by which these alterations occur in certain inflammatory conditions need to be elucidated. It is also obscure whether these alterations are a cause or a consequence of the inflammation. As a conclusion, alterations in the levels of the parameters in SLE may not be a reason for, but in fact a consequence of the disease itself.