Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
TRACE ELEMENTS AND ELECTROLYTES, cilt.37, sa.4, ss.188-193, 2020 (SCI-Expanded)
Background and objective: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive interstitial lung disease that usually affects adults over the age of 50. Although the exact cause of IPF is unknown, it is thought to be the result of interactions between genetic and environmental factors. If environmental and occupational toxic factors causing IPF can be detected, new approaches can be developed for both prevention and treatment. Materials and methods: The study was performed as a case-control study. 32 cases with a precise diagnosis of IPF and 32 healthy controls who underwent autopsy for medico-legal reasons were evaluated. Mineralogical analyzes of 64 pathology paraffin blocks were performed by a toxicologist using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 20 and descriptive statistics; Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare trace element (TE) levels. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Chromium, manganese, zinc, and molybdenum levels were lower, and the level of copper was higher in the case group than in the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Considering that IPF is caused by chronic cell injury as a result of increased free radicals, the low essential TE levels identified in our study may affect antioxidant enzyme activities, which lead to a disruption of the oxidant-antioxidant system balance. However, this may be linked to consumption as a result of excessive antioxidant enzymatic activity. Nevertheless, it is necessary to confirm these findings in a larger group and with more comprehensive studies.