[Effect of heavy metal ions on function of vascular endothelium in patients with ischemic heart disease].

Unlabelled: Endothelium dysfunction is one of the first signs of atherosclerotic process. There are many factors known, which provoke such a dysfunction; many are still to be revealed. One of them may be a heavy metal ion. The aim of the study was to establish the link between heavy metal ions concentrations in blood and the endothelium dysfunction measured with the nitric oxide blood concentration in a population of patients with ischemic heart disease, not exposed occupationally to high concentrations of heavy metal ions. The study included 42 patients (24 men and 18 women, age 63.7 +/- 9.9 years) with angiography confirmed coronary artery disease. The study group was subdivided according to coronary artery atherosclerosis extent. Control included 18 patients (10 men and 8 women, age 58.7 +/- 9.4 years), where coronarography revealed no significant lesions in coronary arteries. In all persons blood for nitric oxide and heavy metal ions was collected. Heavy metal ions studied included: lead, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium, and cadmium. Heavy metal ions concentrations in studied and control group was within normal range for not exposed population and did not differ significantly with each other. No significant difference was observed between groups for nitric oxide concentration. Nitric oxide concentration correlated positively with zinc concentration in control group (p<0.001, Pearson r=0.70). Such a correlations was not present in studied group. After regression analysis there was still strong correlation between zinc and nitric oxide in control group (beta=0.43, p<0.01), the phenomenon not present in studied group.

Conclusions: 1. In the group of patients with angiography confirmed ischemic heart disease heavy metal ions concentrations are within normal range for not exposed population and is not connected with coronary atherosclerosis extent. 2. From all heavy metal ions studied only zinc seams to have protective influence on endothelial function measured by nitric oxide production 3. No such a protective effect is observed in the group of patients with ischemic heart disease, which may be due to the relative zinc deficiency.