MACRO- AND MICROELEMENTS OF BLOOD PLASMA IN PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

The content of macro- and microelements in blood plasma of 35 practically healthy individuals and in 23 patients with different phases of pulmonary tuberculosis was examined using a method of atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. No reliable differences in the content of elements in blood plasma of healthy individuals and patients with focal pulmonary tuberculosis were detected. In pulmonary tuberculosis accompanied by decay processes the concentration of calcium, copper, zinc and iron in blood plasma significantly increases compared to healthy individuals. Calcium may probably play a regulatory role in destruction of the lung tissue since it participates in activation of Ca2+ dependent proteases and phospholipases and possesses a prooxidative effect. Increase in the concentration of copper in pulmonary tuberculosis is compensatory in character and is associated with its antimicrobial effect. Increase in the concentration of iron in destructive forms of pulmonary tuberculosis promotes inactivation of toxic peroxide compounds since iron is a component of catalase and peroxidase. Zinc activates release of tumor necrosis factor that possesses cytotoxic, cytostatic effect and the ability to activate necrosis. The revealed changes in the concentrations in blood of such elements as calcium, copper, iron, zinc cannot be used as an additional diagnostic sign for early detection of pulmonary tuberculosis because in the early stage of the disease no significant changes are observed in their level in blood. However, analysis of the level of the above macro- and microelements may be used to determine a transition of the early form of pulmonary tuberculosis to infiltrative and/or cavernous forms when the lung tissue undergoes decay, and the patient becomes epidemiologically dangerous to surrounding people.