HEPATIC RETENTION OF COPPER AND SELENIUM IN PRIMARY SCLEROSING CHOLANGITIS

Background: Previous studies have suggested abnormal copper metabolism in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). In the present work the trace element metabolism was studied in a group of 32 patien ts with PSC. Methods: Hepatic copper and selenium concentrations were determined with a sensitive electrothermal atomic absorption technique . Serum concentrations of copper and zinc were determined by conventio nal atomic absorption. Results: For the patient group serum copper val ues (20.3 +/- 4.5 mu mol/l) were higher than those for the control gro up (14 +/- 3 mu mol/l), and average hepatic copper concentrations were greater by a factor of four. Serum selenium values were slightly lowe r, although the average hepatic selenium was significantly higher than in the healthy control group. Previous studies have discussed possibl e toxic effects of hepatocellular copper accumulation, which may be ac companied by formation of activated oxygen species and depletion of gl utathione. In the present study, however, it could nor be demonstrated that the concentration of the lipoperoxidation product, malonic diald ehyde, was higher than normal in blood. Furthermore, blood concentrati ons of glutathione and glutathione peroxidase were not abnormal. Concl usion: Although a protective effect of the raised selenium concentrati ons in the liver might be discussed, it is apparent that the copper ac cumulation in the liver cells described here did not induce detectable changes in the indices studied.