Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal (Jan 2018)
Role of essential trace elements and telomere length in endothelial cell senescence in patients with coronary artery disease
Abstract
Introduction: Vascular endothelial cell senescence has been involved in endothelial dysfunction and inflammation and promotes atherosclerosis; moreover, vascular endothelial cells with senescent phenotype have been found in the human atherosclerotic plaques. The mechanism of senescence of endothelial cell through telomere length (TL) shortening has been explained but, with reference to micronutrient status, was not fully clarified. To our knowledge, there is no study on the level of telomere/telomerase with the combination of micronutrient levels in coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: Twenty patients of angiographically diagnosed CAD and twenty age-matched controls (≤40 years) without CAD were studied for their circulatory endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) by flow cytometry. EPC-TL was studied by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and selenium levels in serum were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The association across the serum trace elements and TL was made and correlated with disease condition. Results: EPC count in CAD patients was observed to be lower than that compared with controls (0.18% vs. 0.049%) (P < 0.0001). Cellular TL in CAD statistically decreased compared to that of normal controls (4.21 vs. 5.32) kb/genome (P = 0.008). Serum Zn and Cu levels were significantly low in CAD compared with the controls (P < 0.001). TL and Cu and Zn levels were found positively correlated in the CAD patients and controls (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Reduced levels of telomerase may be due to lower concentration of Cu and Zn, which leads to decreased antioxidant capacity. Establishing a standardized method of evaluating TL and trace elements involved in cholesterol metabolism is essential before its routine use in preventive cardiology.
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