%0 Journal Article
%T Copper and Copper Proteins in Parkinson¡¯s Disease
%A Sergio Montes
%A Susana Rivera-Mancia
%A Araceli Diaz-Ruiz
%A Luis Tristan-Lopez
%A Camilo Rios
%J Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/147251
%X Copper is a transition metal that has been linked to pathological and beneficial effects in neurodegenerative diseases. In Parkinson¡¯s disease, free copper is related to increased oxidative stress, alpha-synuclein oligomerization, and Lewy body formation. Decreased copper along with increased iron has been found in substantia nigra and caudate nucleus of Parkinson¡¯s disease patients. Copper influences iron content in the brain through ferroxidase ceruloplasmin activity; therefore decreased protein-bound copper in brain may enhance iron accumulation and the associated oxidative stress. The function of other copper-binding proteins such as Cu/Zn-SOD and metallothioneins is also beneficial to prevent neurodegeneration. Copper may regulate neurotransmission since it is released after neuronal stimulus and the metal is able to modulate the function of NMDA and GABA A receptors. Some of the proteins involved in copper transport are the transporters CTR1, ATP7A, and ATP7B and the chaperone ATOX1. There is limited information about the role of those biomolecules in the pathophysiology of Parkinson¡¯s disease; for instance, it is known that CTR1 is decreased in substantia nigra pars compacta in Parkinson¡¯s disease and that a mutation in ATP7B could be associated with Parkinson¡¯s disease. Regarding copper-related therapies, copper supplementation can represent a plausible alternative, while copper chelation may even aggravate the pathology. 1. Introduction Parkinson¡¯s disease is an age-associated chronic condition; it is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting an important fraction of world population. It is estimated that in 2040, in the US alone, the population aged 65 years and older will be as high as 80 million [1]. The costs, at the personal and national health care system levels, continue to rise [1]. The mean age at the onset of Parkinson¡¯s disease is 55 years [2], and its prevalence dramatically increases after this age. Clinically, Parkinson¡¯s disease is characterized by four cardinal symptoms: tremor at rest, muscle rigidity, slowness of movement (bradykinesia, akinesia), and changes in posture (instability). Usually, tremor begins unilaterally and then becomes bilateral [3]. Motor symptoms develop distal, and thus, although tremors in the hands are frequently the first observed, tremors in the face are also common. Walking can be especially difficult for patients; because of the postural instability, patients have a tendency to fall. As a whole, this combination of symptoms leads to disability and dependency. Parkinson¡¯s disease
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2014/147251/