Metallomics : integrated biometal science
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There are numerous blood-based biomarkers for assessing iron stores, but all come with certain limitations. Hepcidin is a hormone primarily produced in the liver that has been proposed as the 'master regulator' of dietary uptake and iron metabolism, and has enormous potential to provide a 'real time' indicator of body iron levels. ⋯ The role hepcidin itself plays in diseases of iron metabolism will be examined, and current efforts to translate hepcidin assays into the clinic will be critically appraised. Potential limitations of hepcidin as a marker of iron need will also be addressed, as well as the development of new therapies that directly target the hormone that sits atop the hierarchy of systemic iron metabolism.
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This review examines recent studies on the thermodynamics of copper association with amyloid-β, α-synuclein and prion protein, with an eye towards using this information to understand the etiology of associated neurodegenerative diseases. A variety of binding affinities and binding sites, which are essential to understand the function and consequence of copper-protein interaction, have been reported for copper to these three neurobiologic systems. This current review reconciles the disparate models presented in the literature.
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Biomarkers in exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may be useful in aiding diagnosis, defining specific phenotypes of disease, monitoring the disease and evaluating the effects of drugs. The aim of this study was the characterization of metallic elements in exhaled breath condensate and serum as novel biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility in exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using reference analytical techniques. C-Reactive protein and procalcitonin were assessed as previously validated diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers which have been associated with disease exacerbation, thus useful as a basis of comparison with metal levels. ⋯ Serum biomarkers were measured by immunoassay. Exhaled manganese and magnesium levels were influenced by exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an increase in their concentrations--respectively by 20 and 50%--being observed at exacerbation in comparison with values obtained at recovery; serum elemental composition was not modified by exacerbation; serum levels of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at exacerbation were higher than values at recovery. In outpatients who experienced a mild-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, manganese and magnesium levels in exhaled breath condensate are elevated at admission in comparison with values at recovery, whereas no other changes were observed in metallic elements at both the pulmonary and systemic level.