A Prospective Study of Serum Trace Elements in Healthy Korean Pregnant Women.

Rihwa Choi,Yoon Cho,Hye Kim,Jae Chung,Soo-Youn Lee,Heejin Yoo,Seonwoo Kim,Jiyu Sun,Sun Kim,Soo-Young Oh

doi:10.3390/nu8110749

Rihwa Choi, Yoon Cho + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8110749

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Nov 23, 2016
Citations: 53	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University

Abstract

This prospective study sought to investigate serum levels of trace elements (cobalt, copper, zinc, and selenium) and to assess their effects on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Serum levels of trace elements in 245 Korean pregnant women (median gestational age at delivery was 39 + 4 weeks and interquartile range was 38 + 4–40 + 1 weeks) were compared with those of 527 general adults and those of previous studies in other ethnic groups. Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, neonatal birth weight, and congenital abnormalities were assessed. The median serum trace element concentrations of all pregnant women were: cobalt: 0.39 μg/L (interquartile range, IQR 0.29–0.53), copper: 165.0 μg/dL (IQR 144.0–187.0), zinc: 57.0 μg/dL (IQR 50.0–64.0), and selenium: 94.0 μg/L (IQR 87.0–101.0). Serum cobalt and copper concentrations were higher in pregnant women than in the general population, whereas zinc and selenium levels were lower (p < 0.01). Concentrations of all four trace elements varied significantly during the three trimesters (p < 0.05), and seasonal variation was found in copper, zinc, and selenium, but was not observed for cobalt. The prevalence of preeclampsia was significantly lower with high copper (p = 0.03). Trace element levels varied by pregnancy trimester and season, and alteration in copper status during pregnancy might influence pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia.

Highlights

Trace elements are inorganic constituents present at very low concentrations in bodily fluids and tissues
We investigated trace element concentrations in pregnant women as compared with the general population
Previous studies have reported reference ranges for trace element concentrations in healthy pregnant women using blood samples [8,23,28,33], only a few studies have reported those concentrations in comparison with those in a general population of healthy non-pregnant women or healthy men [8,23,33]

Summary

Introduction

Trace elements are inorganic constituents present at very low concentrations in bodily fluids (μg/dL) and tissues (mg/kg). Those found at ng/dL or μg/kg concentrations are known as ultra trace elements [1]. The functions of trace elements include being a structural component of a vitamin (cobalt (Co)) and being a co-factor in metalloenzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (selenium (Se)). Among the various techniques used for trace element analyses in human biological fluids and tissues, such as flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), graphite furnace AAS, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), ICP-MS using serum and plasma specimens is widely used to determine concentrations in both normal and disease conditions, detect and designate potential toxic metals, and diagnose trace element deficiency states and trace element-related diseases, with an advantage of being able to screen multiple elements with high sensitivity [2,3]

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