For The Want of a Nail … Trace Elements in Health and Disease
Owen M. Rennert, Wai-Yee Chan in Metabolism of Trace Metals in Man, 2017
The chemistry and biology of copper are in many ways similar to those of iron. The three most common forms of copper are the metal, Cu0; cuprous ion, Cu1+; and cupric ion, Cu2+. Cupric salts are relatively stable and soluble; the more insoluble cuprous ions tend to reoxidize or disproportionate. Cuprous complexes can be stabilized in strong coordination compounds like those of the Fe2+ porphyrins already mentioned. The availability of copper is very much a function of its chemistry. Sulfide, phytate, and ascorbate seem to inhibit uptake. Solubility and complex formation similar to those observed for iron are involved. Amino acids, organic acids, and some synthetic chelating agents enhance uptake. Copper must be in a soluble, low molecular weight form to be absorbed. Under normal conditions, 30 to 50% of the dietary copper enters the blood. Excess amounts of zinc in the diet seem to block copper uptake, perhaps by competition for necessary low molecular weight chelating agents.
Free Radicals and Antioxidants
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy in Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Copper (Cu) is an essential trace element for the human body, which contains approximately 100 mg Cu (209–212). Copper is a redox active metal in aqueous solution. In biological systems copper can exist in two ionic forms: Cu2+ and Cu1+, which are dominant in the extracellular oxidative and intracellular reductive environment, respectively (210). Copper is a cofactor of many copper redox enzymes such as ceruloplasmin, superoxide dismutase, and cytochrome C oxidase. Ceruloplasmin is a Cu-dependent ferroxidase enzyme, while superoxide dismutase is a strong antioxidant enzyme which is responsible for eliminating the superoxide anion, and cytochrome C oxidase is the terminal oxidase of cellular respiration (15, 111, 209). The ionic conversion between Cu2+ and Cu1+ provides a rich and potent redox reaction, acting as a reactive center for many critical enzymatic catalytic reactions which are important for numerous vital biological processes (211). Cu ions are delivered to the sites of utilization by special proteins called copper chaperones which are important components of the Cu metabolism (210).
Travelers and workers at high altitude
Andrew M. Luks, Philip N. Ainslie, Justin S. Lawley, Robert C. Roach, Tatum S. Simonson in Ward, Milledge and West's High Altitude Medicine and Physiology, 2021
Mining activities have been conducted at high altitudes for many centuries. Chinese sources suggest that Tibetans worked as high as 6000 m in the Tanggula range of central Tibet mining quartz; chromate mines were also found in central Tibet (Ward 1990). The open cast mines at Thok Jalung (thok is Tibetan for gold) were investigated in 1867 by Nain Singh, one of the early clandestine native explorers of the Survey of India (Waller 1990). In several areas of the South American Andes, there is evidence that mining activities were carried out by the Incas before the Spanish conquest. The Spanish conquistadors founded the imperial city of Potosí (4060 m) in Bolivia, the site of an enormous silver mine, in the 1540s. Today, many mines are still located above 4000 m in Tibet and South America. In the former, for example, copper and gold are mined in the Shetongmon, Gyama, and Yulong districts as China expands its quest for resources (Lafitte 2011), while 10 mines are located between 4800 m and 5000 m in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile from which a variety of minerals are extracted including copper, gold, lead, molybdenum silver, tin, and zinc (Arendal 2020).
DNA damage analysis concerning GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphism in gold jewellery workers from Peshawar Pakistan
Published in Biomarkers, 2020
Muhammad Khisroon, Ajmal Khan, Asma Ayub, Ihsan Ullah, Javeed Farooqi, Abid Ullah
Gold, an enigmatic reddish-yellow element, known for its docility, rarity, conductivity, and resistance to chemical reactions, is the precious sought-after commodity among metal for 7000 years (Bierlein et al. 2006, USA Gold 2010). In soil the gold is in a range of 0.6–20 µg/kg and in normal air 0.08–1.5 pg/m3 (Dolara 2014). In history, since the inception of human civilisation, total gold production estimated is 183000 metric tons (Gosselin and Dubé 2005). Gold is generally found in the form of ore and is associated with minerals like copper and iron pyrites, tellurides, calcite, galena, gypsum, crocoite, wollastonite, quartz, vanadinite, roscoelite, and uranium ochre (Kesler et al. 2002, Zhang et al. 2011). For the extraction, gold is treated with mercury or dissolved in aqua regia (1:3 mixtures of concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids) or cyanide of potassium or sodium (cyanide process) (Eisler 2003). The gold is also extracted by chlorination and electrolytic process (Lansdown 2018).
Investigation of Thiol/Disulfide Homeostasis and Ischemia-Modified Albumin Levels in Children with Wilson Disease
Published in Fetal and Pediatric Pathology, 2022
Ferit Durankuş, Yakup Albayrak, Yavuz Tokgöz, Ömer Faruk Beşer, Ramazan Durankuş, Sebahat Çam, Eda Sünnetçi, Ömer Akarsu, Cemil Nural, Özcan Erel
Wilson disease (WD) results from the recessive inheritance of copper metabolism disorder related to mutations of the ATP7B gene. Copper accumulates and causes toxicities that commonly affect the tissues of the liver and brain. The childhood form of WD typically presents with a predominantly hepatic phenotype [1]. The clinical prevalence of WD is estimated at about 1:7026, and heterozygosity in the UK has been predicted as 2.5% of the general population [2, 3]. The etiopathogenesis is characterized by the defective functioning of the copper-transporting P-type ATPase due to mutations of the ATP7B gene. The defective ATPase causes a decreased production of ceruloplasmin, thereby preventing the export of copper from cells and promoting the increased accumulation of copper in the cells and the resultant toxicity [4].
Copper and zinc deficiency in an alcoholic patient: a case report of a therapeutic dilemma
Published in Journal of Addictive Diseases, 2022
Hiroshi Ito, Yasuhiro Ogawa, Nobutake Shimojo, Satoru Kawano
Copper is a trace element essential for the function of human cellular enzymes. The recommended dietary allowance for copper is 0.9 mg daily in adults.1 Although relatively rare, copper deficiency usually presents symptoms including anemia and ataxia.2 The risk factors for copper deficiency include gastrointestinal surgery, excessive zinc ingestion, and malabsorptive conditions. Case reports have suggested an association between alcohol consumption and copper deficiency.3 However, little is known still about the relationship between the two states. Here, we describe a case of copper deficiency in a patient with alcohol use disorder who also had zinc deficiency. Patients with alcohol use disorder can present zinc and copper deficiencies at the same time. Because copper and zinc are competitively absorbed from the jejunum, this condition poses a therapeutic dilemma.
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