COPPER, CERULOPLASMIN AND SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE IN PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

The copper-containing enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a key enzym e in suppressing the amounts of superoxide anion radicals. Ceruloplasm in, the copper-transporting protein in plasma, also possesses an impor tant redox capacity. In this study the levels of copper and ceruloplas min as well as SOD-activity and ceruloplasmin oxidative activity were analyzed in order to throw some light on possible defects in copper me chanisms in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The stud y included 44 patients with AD and their healthy age- and gender-match ed controls. No difference of significance was seen when comparing the copper or ceruloplasmin concentration in plasma of AD patients to tha t of their paired controls. The SOD activity in red blood cells was si gnificantly lower in the patients than in their controls (p = 0.019). The ceruloplasmin oxidative activity in plasma of Alzheimer's patients was greatly reduced as compared to that of age- and gender-matched co ntrols and the difference was highly significant (p = 0.0005). Cerulop lasmin activity and SOD activity were not found to be intrinsically co rrelated, It was postulated that reduced oxidative activity of cerulop lasmin in plasma might be either a cause or a consequence of AD and th at reduced SOD activity might further add to the oxidative disturbance s in AD due to defective ceruloplasmin activity.