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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Positron Emission Tomography Using 64-Copper as a Tracer for the Study of Copper-Related Disorders
Published on: April 28, 2023
Trace elements in human physiology and pathology. Copper
H Tapiero1, D M Townsend, K D Tew
1Université de Paris - Faculté de Pharmacie CNRS UMR 8612, 5, rue Jean-Baptiste-Clément, 94200, Chatenay-Malabry, France. haimtapiero@aol.com
Abstract:
Copper is a trace element, important for the function of many cellular enzymes. Copper ions can adopt distinct redox states oxidized Cu(II) or reduced (I), allowing the metal to play a pivotal role in cell physiology as a catalytic cofactor in the redox chemistry of enzymes, mitochondrial respiration, iron absorption, free radical scavenging and elastin cross-linking. If present in excess, free copper ions can cause damage to cellular components and a delicate balance between the uptake and efflux of copper ions determines the amount of cellular copper. In biological systems, copper homeostasis has been characterized at the molecular level. It is coordinated by several proteins such as glutathione, metallothionein, Cu-transporting P-type ATPases, Menkes and Wilson proteins and by cytoplasmic transport proteins called copper chaperones to ensure that it is delivered to specific subcellular compartments and thereby to copper-requiring proteins.
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