Total plasma magnesium, zinc, copper and selenium concentrations in type-I and type-II diabetes

Abstract

Glycemia and insulin resistance are important regulators of multiple physiological processes and their dysregulation has wide-ranging consequences, including alterations in plasma concentrations of metal micronutrients. Here, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium and glycated albumin (HbA1c) concentrations and quartile differences were examined in 45 subjects with type-I diabetes (T1DM), 54 subjects with type-II diabetes (T2DM) and 62 control subjects in order to assess potential differences between sexes and between T1DM and T2DM. Plasma magnesium concentration was decreased in T1DM subjects, with the second, third and fourth quartiles of magnesium concentrations associated with the absence of T1DM. This effect was observed in females but not males. In T2DM, the highest quartile of selenium concentrations and the third quartile of copper concentrations associated with the absence of diabetes in males. The highest quartile of magnesium concentrations was associated with the absence of T2DM in males but not females. HbA1c correlated with plasma concentrations of magnesium (negatively, in both sexes together in T1DM and T1DM males), copper (positively, in T1DM males and in both sexes together in T2DM), selenium (positively, in both sexes together in T1DM and T2DM, and T2DM females) and with zinc/copper ratio (negatively, in both sexes together in T1DM and T2DM). This study shows that plasma magnesium concentration is altered to the highest degree in T1DM, while in T2DM, plasma selenium and copper concentrations are significantly affected. This work increases our understanding of how T1DM and T2DM affects plasma metal concentrations and may have future implications for diabetes management.

Keywords: Diabetes; HbA1c; ICP-MS; Metal homeostasis; Zinc/copper ratio.

Fig. 1

Relationship between HbA1c concentration and plasma zinc, copper, magnesium and selenium concentrations as well as zinc/copper ratio in all T1DM subjects and male and female T1DM subjects. a–c HbA1c concentration vs zinc concentration, d–f HbA1c concentration vs copper concentration, g–i HbA1c concentration vs magnesium concentration, j–l HbA1c concentration vs selenium concentration and m–o HbA1c concentration vs zinc/copper ratio. a, d, g, j, m both sexes together, b, e, h, k, n male subjects and c, f, i, l, o female subjects. Black circles were used for the data that were correlated to HbA1c concentration, while white circles were used when the relationship was not significant. HbA1c concentration was positively correlated with plasma copper concentration in males (p = 0.0418) and with plasma selenium concentration in both sexes together (p = 0.0311), while it was negatively correlated with plasma magnesium concentration in both sexes together (p = 0.0040) and in males (p = 0.0067) and with the zinc/copper ratio in both sexes together (p = 0.0258)

Fig. 2

Relationship between HbA1c concentration and plasma zinc, copper, magnesium and selenium concentrations as well as zinc/copper ratio in all T2DM subjects and male and female T2DM subjects. a–c HbA1c concentration vs zinc concentration, d–f HbA1c concentration vs copper concentration, g–i HbA1c concentration vs magnesium concentration, j–l HbA1c concentration vs selenium concentration and m–o HbA1c concentration vs zinc/copper ratio. a, d, g, j, m both sexes together, b, e, h, k, n male subjects and c, f, i, l, o female subjects. Black circles were used for the data that were correlated to HbA1c concentration, while white circles were used when the relationship was not significant. HbA1c concentration was positively correlated with plasma copper concentration in both sexes together (p = 0.0034) and with plasma selenium concentration in both sexes together (p = 0.0394) and in females (p = 0.0150), while it was negatively correlated with the zinc/copper ratio in both sexes together (p = 0.0428)