Assessment of copper, iron, zinc and manganese status and speciation in patients with Parkinson’s disease: A pilot study

•Serum, hair, and urine Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn level were assessed with ICP-DRC-MS.•Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn speciation was performed with HPLC-ICP-DRC-MS.•Total Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn levels did not differ between patients and controls.•Cu/ceruloplasmin copper was significantly reduced in Parkinson’s disease.•Mn-albumin fraction in PD patients was more than 4-fold higher. The objective of this pilot study was to assess iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) status (hair, serum, and urine) and speciation (serum) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. A pilot study involving a total of 27 subjects (13 PD patients, 14 controls) was performed. Serum, urine, and hair metal content was assessed using ICP-MS. Speciation analysis of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn was performed using a hybrid HPLC-ICP-MS system. Group comparisons did not reveal any significant group difference in serum Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn total metal level between PD patients and controls. Speciation analysis revealed a significant decrease in Cu/ceruloplasmin copper in association with elevation of low-molecular weight species (amino acids)-bound copper. It is proposed that in PD, binding of Cu(II) ions to ceruloplasmin is reduced and free copper ions coordinate with low molecular weight ligands. The level of Mn-albumin complexes in PD patients was more than 4-fold higher as compared to the respective value in the control group. The observed difference may be considered as a marker of redistribution between high and low molecular weight ligands. Metal speciation is significantly affected in serum of PD-patients. These findings are indicative of the potential role of metal metabolism and PD pathogenesis, although the exact mechanisms of such associations require further detailed studies.