Evaluation of Changes in Cadmium and Copper levels for Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

   Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder in which disequilibrium of necessary and toxics trace elements may have an important role in pathogenesis and complications. This study aimed to assess the alterations in serum concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) among diabetic patients compared with healthy subjects, as well as their correlation. A sample of 20 diabetics and 10 normal persons were recruited for a case control study. Serum Cd and Cu levels were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results showed that the average blood Cd concentration in diabetic patients (7.67 ± 2.51 µg/L) was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (2.53 ± 0.56 µg/L; P < 0.001), indicating a heavy accumulation of cadmium among the diabetics with respect to the control subjects. By contrast, the average Cu concentration was weakly higher, not significant difference (1.17 ± 0.065 vs 1.13 ± 0.12 µg/L; P = 0.734) in diabetic patients than control subjects were recorded (Table I). Further logistic regression showed a significant positive relationship between serum Cd and Cu levels in diabetes patients, which indicates that an increased cadmium exposure was able to affect copper metabolism, potentially leading to the occurrence of oxidative stress or enzyme perturbation with respect to diabetes. These results indicate that alteration of trace metal homoeostasis, especially the increase in cadmium and its association with copper, could be involved in metabolic and biochemical changes associated with diabetes mellitus. More research in larger cohorts is suggested to elucidate the mechanistic role of these factors in diabetic pathophysiology.