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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Positron Emission Tomography Using 64-Copper as a Tracer for the Study of Copper-Related Disorders
Published on: April 28, 2023
Cuprizone neurotoxicity, copper deficiency and neurodegeneration
Federico Benetti1, Marcello Ventura, Benedetta Salmini
1Department of Biology, University of Padova, via U. Bassi 58/B, 35121 Padova, Italy.
Abstract:
Cuprizone is used to obtain demyelination in mice. Cuprizone-treated mice show symptoms similar to several neurodegenerative disorders such as severe status spongiosus. Although it has a simple chemical formula, its neurotoxic mechanism is still unknown. In this work, we examined both physico-chemical properties and biological effects of cuprizone. Our results indicate that cuprizone has very complicated and misunderstood solution chemistry. Moreover, we show here the inability of cuprizone to cross neither the intestinal epithelial barrier nor the neuronal cell membrane, as well its high tolerability by cultured neurons. If added to mice diet, cuprizone does not accumulate in liver or in brain. Therefore, its neurotoxic effect is explainable only in terms of its capability to chelate copper, leading to chronic copper deficiency.
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