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Review
. 2020 Feb 6;21(3):1069.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21031069.

Current Biomedical Use of Copper Chelation Therapy

Silvia Baldari  1   2 , Giuliana Di Rocco  1 , Gabriele Toietta  1
Affiliations
Review

Current Biomedical Use of Copper Chelation Therapy

Silvia Baldari et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Copper is an essential microelement that plays an important role in a wide variety of biological processes. Copper concentration has to be finely regulated, as any imbalance in its homeostasis can induce abnormalities. In particular, excess copper plays an important role in the etiopathogenesis of the genetic disease Wilson's syndrome, in neurological and neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, in diabetes, and in several forms of cancer. Copper chelating agents are among the most promising tools to keep copper concentration at physiological levels. In this review, we focus on the most relevant compounds experimentally and clinically evaluated for their ability to counteract copper homeostasis deregulation. In particular, we provide a general overview of the main disorders characterized by a pathological increase in copper levels, summarizing the principal copper chelating therapies adopted in clinical trials.

Keywords: cancer; chelation therapy; copper; metal homeostasis; metalloproteins; therapeutic chelation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the main genes involved in the antitumoral effects of copper chelation therapy [1].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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