Copper and Zinc Levels, Prevalence of Common Variants of Genes Involved in Their Metabolism and Psoriasis Disease

<b>Background:</b> The pathogenesis of psoriasis is poorly understood. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation are crucial in the inflammatory processes, including psoriasis. Thus, microelements, such as zinc and copper, may play a significant role in this disease's development. <b>Methods:</b> Due to the paucity and inconsistency of literature data, we studied the levels of copper and zinc in blood and serum from 301 unselected psoriatic patients and 301 matched healthy controls and examined any associations among the microelements and clinical course or SOD2 (rs4880), CAT (rs1001179), GPX1 (rs1050450), and DMGDH (rs921943) DNA variants. <b>Results:</b> The mean blood copper levels were 864.94 µg/L and 907.24 µg/L, respectively, for controls and psoriasis patients (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The mean serum copper levels were 1,104.14 µg/L and 1191.72 µg/L, respectively, for controls and psoriasis patients (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The psoriasis risk was highest the among participants with the highest blood levels (>950.02 µg/L, OR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.31-4.26; <i>p</i> = 0.004) and the highest serum concentrations (>1276.98 µg/L, OR: 3.08; 95% CI: 1.77-5.36; <i>p</i> < 0.001). The mean serum zinc levels were significantly lower (<i>p</i> < 0.001) among patients (910.87 µg/L) when compared to controls (979.68 µg/L). The mean blood zinc levels were not significantly different in cases and controls. Subjects with the lowest serum zinc levels (<843.68 µg/L) were affected more frequently (OR: 3.85; 95% CI: 2.24-6.60; <i>p</i> < 0.001). We found positive correlations between copper levels and PASI and inverse correlations of serum zinc levels with PASI and NAPSI scores. There were no associations between the levels of microelements and studied DNA variants. <b>Conclusions:</b> Our results support the thesis of an association between psoriasis onset and altered course of the disease with upset levels of copper and zinc. Future prospective studies might focus on optimization of the concentration of these trace elements for prophylaxis and to support the treatment of psoriasis.