Saturday, July 20, 2019

Copper containing drug

Copper-containing drugs
Copper is a valuable metal and has been mined for more than 2000 years. It has had many uses throughout
history. Initially, copper was mainly used to make alloys such as brass and bronze, which are harder and
stronger than copper itself. Nowadays, copper is mainly used because it conducts heat and electricity  and it is corrosion-resistant.
Historically, copper was used for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including chronic ulcers, headaches,
ear infections, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and so on. In 1832, copper workers were found to be immune to an
outbreak of cholera in Paris, which stimulated further research into the medicinal use of copper. Almost every
cell in the human body uses copper, as most contain copper-dependent enzymes. Unfortunately, excessive
amounts of copper are toxic for the human body, whereas low amounts of copper also lead to health problems,
manifested in Menkes disease.
Copper ions from food sources are processed by the liver, and transported and excreted in a safe manner.
Inorganic metallic copper from sources such as drinking water mainly enters the blood directly and can be
toxic as it can penetrate the blood–brain barrier. Typically, 50% of the daily copper intake is absorbed in the GI
tract and transported to the liver from where it is transported to the peripheral tissue bound to ceruloplasmin, a
copper-binding glycoprotein. A smaller amount of copper is also bound to albumin. Excess copper is mainly
excreted in bile into the gut and then the faeces.
Copper is an essential trace metal, and copper .

No comments:

Post a Comment