Copper, ceruloplasmin and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

In two previous studies we found copper dyshomeostasis in patients with Alz heimer's disease and in patients with Parkinson's disease. In this study, t he levels of copper in plasma, of ceruloplasmin in serum, ceruloplasmin oxi dative activity, ceruloplasmin specific oxidative activity (activity relate d to mass) as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in erythrocytes h ave been determined in 14 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and t heir healthy age- and gender-mathced controls. Three of the patients had a familial form of the disease or were suspected of having it. The mean value s of all parameters were found not to differ significantly between the pati ents and their controls (Student's t-test; P>0.05). By testing the equality of variances (F distribution) we found that the variances of individual re sults fur ceruloplasmin specific oxidative activity and SOD activity differ ed significantly between the patients group and the controls group (P= 0.02 1 and P=0.003), but the individual results of these two activities were not correlated (P>0.05). We conclude that disturbances in ceruloplasmin specif ic oxidative activity and SOD activity could contribute to motor neurone de ath in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and since the two enzyme activities a re not correlated it is uncertain which one is more closely related to the pathology of the disease.