Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep:73:127038.
doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2022.127038. Epub 2022 Jul 16.

Selenium and mercury concentrations in biological samples from patients with COVID-19

Ghulam Qadir Chanihoon  1 , Hassan Imran Afridi  2 , Ahsanullah Unar  3 , Farah Naz Talpur  1 , Hadi Bakhsh Kalochi  1 , Rayan Nassani  4 , Nazia Laghari  1 , Najam Uddin  1 , Ali Ghulam  5 , Anees Ur Rahman Chandio  1
Affiliations

Selenium and mercury concentrations in biological samples from patients with COVID-19

Ghulam Qadir Chanihoon et al. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a systemic disease affecting multiple organs. Furthermore, viral infection depletes several trace elements and promotes complex biochemical reactions in the body. Smoking has been linked to the incidence of COVID-19 and associated mortality, and it may impact clinical effects, viral and bacterial conversion, and treatment outcomes.

Objectives: To study the relationship between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 and the elemental concentrations of selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) in biological samples from smokers and nonsmokers infected with the virus and in healthy individuals.

Method: We evaluated changes in the concentrations of essential (Se) and toxic (Hg) elements in biological samples (blood, nasal fluid, saliva, sputum, serum, and scalp hair) collected from male smokers and nonsmokers (aged 29-59 years) infected with COVID-19 and from healthy men in the same age group. The patients lived in different cities in Sindh Province, Pakistan. The Se and Hg concentrations were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Results: Se concentrations in all types of biological samples from smokers and nonsmokers with COVID-19 were lower than those of healthy smokers and nonsmokers. Hg concentrations were elevated in both smokers and nonsmokers with COVID-19.

Conclusions: In the current study, persons infected with COVID-19 had higher concentrations of toxic Hg, which could cause physiological disorders, and low concentrations of essential Se, which can also cause weakness. COVID-19 infection showed positive correlations with levels of mercury and selenium. Thus, additional clinical and experimental investigations are essential.

Keywords: Biological samples; Coronavirus disease 2019; Mercury; Respiratory disease recurrence; Selenium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

    1. Jhu, C. (2020). Coronavirus 2019-nCoV global cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE., (n.d.).
    1. Shereen M.A., Khan S., Kazmi A., Bashir N., Siddique R. COVID-19 infection: emergence, transmission, and characteristics of human coronaviruses. J. Adv. Res. 2020;24:91–98. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gasmi A., Tippairote T., Mujawdiya P.K., Peana M., Menzel A., Dadar M., Bjørklund G. Micronutrients as immunomodulatory tools for COVID-19 management. Clin. Immunol. 2020;220 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akhtar S., Das J.K., Ismail T., Wahid M., Saeed W., Bhutta Z.A. Nutritional perspectives for the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19. Nutr. Rev. 2021;79(3):289–300. - PMC - PubMed
    1. M.K.- Molecules, undefined 2019, Selenium–fascinating microelement, properties and sources in food, Mdpi.Com. (n.d.). 10.3390/molecules24071298. - DOI - PMC - PubMed