Research Article

Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

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Mohsen Nejad-Ghaderi

Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

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Maryam Hadavi

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0924-332X

Department of Anesthesiology, Paramedical School, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

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Aliakbar Yousefi-Ahmadipour

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7007-2518

Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

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Fatemeh M Moghadam

Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

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Maryam Rahnama

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2921-7436

Department of Applied cell Sciences, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, 571478334, Iran

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Saeed; M Haftcheshmeh

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7647-1904

Healthy Ageing Research Centre, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, 9318614139, Iran

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Kazem Mashayekhi

*Author for correspondence: Tel.: +98 343 131 5000;

E-mail Address: Mashayekhik@rums.ac.ir

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0036-0087

Student Research Committee, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Research Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, 7718175911, Iran

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Amir A Momtazi-Borojeni

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4376-1083

Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, 9318614139, Iran

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Published Online:20 Jun 2023https://doi.org/10.2217/bmm-2022-0530

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Abstract

Aim: To assess the association serum levels of selenium (Se) and copper (Cu) with symptoms and IgG immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Patients & methods/materials: Blood samples and nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from 126 COVID-19 patients with mild and severe symptoms. The serum levels of Cu and Se were measured by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. Results & conclusion: Mean Se was higher in patients with mild symptoms and IgG nonresponders, whereas mean Cu was higher in patients with severe symptoms and IgG responders. The Cu/Se ratio was lower in patients with no IgG responses to infection and mild symptoms versus IgG responders with severe symptoms. These results suggest the Cu/Se ratio as a nutritional biomarker of severity and IgG immune response in COVID-19 patients.

Plain language summary

The association between the strong immune response to infections and trace elements such as copper (Cu) and selenium (Se) is well documented. Se and Cu are changed under infectious conditions. Since SARS-CoV-2 causes inflammation in the body, this study was conducted to evaluate the association between serum levels of Se and Cu changes with the symptoms and immune response to SARS-CoV-2, and then assess the Cu/Se ratio. Blood samples and nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from 126 SARS-CoV-2 participants with mild and severe clinical symptoms. The SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune response to the virus were confirmed in the laboratory. Next, the Se and Cu serum levels were measured. Finally, we analyzed our findings. The median Se levels were higher in patients with mild symptoms (115 μg/l) in comparison with the severe symptoms group (99 μg/l), and the mean Se levels were higher in immune nonresponders (110.33 ± 3.38 μg/l) in comparison with the immune responders' group (102.42 ± 1.83 μg/l). However, the median Cu was higher in participants with severe symptoms (124 μg/dl) compared with the mild symptoms group (103 μg/dl), and the mean Cu levels were higher in immune responders (112 ± 9.98 μg/dl) in comparison with the immune nonresponders' group (105.1 ± 9.4 μg/dl). The Cu/Se ratio was lower (ratio <1) in participants with no responses to infection and mild symptoms versus responders with severe symptoms. Our results suggest that the Cu/Se ratio may act as a nutritional biomarker of severity and immune response in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients.

Keywords:

Papers of special note have been highlighted as: • of interest; •• of considerable interest

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Vol. 17, No. 6

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History

Received 18 July 2022

Accepted 15 March 2023

Published online 20 June 2023

Published in print March 2023

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Keywords

Author contributions

M Tashakori contributed to the design and implementation of the research, and the writing of the manuscript. A Jamalizadeh and M Nejad-Ghaderi contributed to organized sampling from participants. M Hadavi and A Yousefi-Ahmadipour contributed to the analysis of the results. F Mohseni Moghadam and M Rahnama contributed to the final version of the manuscript. S Mohammadian Haftcheshmeh contributed to revised manuscript and reanalyzed data. AA Momtazi-Borojeni and K Mashayekhi contributed to the final version of the manuscript, analyzed the data and supervised the project. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank H Yousefi-Daredor for technical assistance.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was funded by Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval from Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences Rafsanjan, Iran (ethical code: IR.RUMS.REC.1400.024) and have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

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Association between the copper/selenium ratio and the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract

Plain language summary

References