Centre for Neuroscience & Department of Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
Metallomics. 2012 Feb;4(2):127-38. doi: 10.1039/c2mt00174h. Epub 2011 Dec 20.
The importance of transition metals in biological processes has been well established. Copper (Cu) is a transition metal that can exist in oxidised and reduced states. This allows it to participate in redox and catalytic chemistry, making it a suitable cofactor for a diverse range of enzymes and molecules. Cu deficiency or toxicity is implicated in a variety of pathological conditions; therefore inorganic complexes of Cu have been investigated for their therapeutic and diagnostic potential. These Cu complexes have been shown to be effective in cancer treatment due to their cytotoxic action on tumour cells. Alternatively, Cu complexes can also modulate Cu homeostasis in the brain, resulting in protective effects in several models of neurodegeneration. In other diseases such as coronary heart disease and skin disease, the success of Cu complexes as potential therapeutics will most likely be due to their ability to increase SOD activity, leading to relief of oxidative stress. This review seeks to provide a broad insight into some of the diverse actions of Cu complexes and demonstrate the strong future for these compounds as potential therapeutic agents.
过渡金属在生物过程中的重要性已得到充分证实。铜（Cu）是一种过渡金属，可以存在于氧化态和还原态。这使其能够参与氧化还原和催化化学，使其成为各种酶和分子的合适辅因子。Cu 缺乏或毒性与多种病理状况有关；因此，人们研究了 Cu 的无机配合物的治疗和诊断潜力。这些 Cu 配合物已被证明在癌症治疗中有效，因为它们对肿瘤细胞具有细胞毒性作用。或者，Cu 配合物还可以调节大脑中的 Cu 动态平衡，从而在几种神经退行性变模型中产生保护作用。在其他疾病（如冠心病和皮肤病）中，Cu 配合物作为潜在治疗药物的成功很可能归因于它们能够提高 SOD 活性，从而缓解氧化应激。本综述旨在提供对 Cu 配合物的一些不同作用的广泛了解，并展示这些化合物作为潜在治疗剂的强大未来。
