Homocysteine, trace elements and oxidant/antioxidant status in mild cognitively impaired elderly persons: a cross-sectional study

Introduction. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), so identification of the related risk factors can be helpful. There are controversial data regarding the serum oxidant/antioxidant status, trace elements and homocysteine (Hcy) as effective parameters in this disease, therefore the status of these factors was determined in this study. Methods. One hundred-twenty elderly persons with cognitive impairment and 120 elderly healthy persons who were differentiated using Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) participated in this study. The patients were divided into mild and moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment group. Serum antioxidant/oxidant, copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and Hcy concentrations were measured using routine methods. Results. Oxidant and antioxidant levels increased and decreased based on the severity of the disease and were higher and lower in patients than in control group, respectively (p< 0.001). With adjusting for age, gender and education, significant difference in Hcy levels was not observed. There was no significant difference in trace elements levels among groups. Conclusions. Results confirmed the association between oxidative damage with increasing the severity of cognitive impairment. These factors may be involved in the etiology of cognitive impairment and AD. Identification of such biomarkers is important to select appropriate treatment goals before the onset of irreversible clinical signs.