Similarly to copper, iron has been found to play a positive role in the development of atherosclerosis and supports the concept of a positive role for copper in the etiology of this disease. Animal models have been adopted to reveal the association between abnormal copper metabolism and diabetes. A rat model of diabetes with heart failure revealed improved progress after treatment with anticopper chelating agent trientine used
for treatment of Wilson’s disease (WD). WD is a rare inherited autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism, resulting Alectinib mouse in copper toxicity. Studies using animal models have shown that copper interacts with glycated proteins and produces neuropathy, one of the complications of diabetes in humans (Eaton and Qian, 2002). It has been recently
characterized that hyperglycemic complications contributing to cardiovascular disease are linked with disturbed copper homeostasis. Chelatable copper level was found to be increased in the diabetic hearts and elevated extracellular copper might be implicated in the mechanism of cardiovascular damage in diabetes (Cooper et al., 2004). Heart disease in diabetes is accompanied by left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy and increased incidence of heart failure. Copper balance in type 2 diabetes can be improved by treatment with copper(II)-selective chelator trientine (Cooper et al., 2009). It has been hypothesised that hyperglycemia-induced impairment of tissue copper balance is an important mechanism of left-ventricular hypertrophy in diabetes Z-VAD-FMK mouse and that effective copper(II) chelation can be used as a new way of treatment for cardiac disease in diabetes. Chromium, one of the most common elements in the earth’s exists
in several oxidation states (Cieslak-Golonka, 1996). The most important stable states are 0 (elemental metal), +III (trivalent), and +VI (hexavalent). The health effects and toxicity/carcinogenicity of chromium are primarily related to the oxidation state of the metal at the time of exposure. (-)-p-Bromotetramisole Oxalate Trivalent (Cr[III]) and hexavalent (Cr[VI]) compounds are thought to be the most biologically significant (US Department of Health, 1993). Cr(III) is an essential dietary mineral in low doses, found in most fresh foods, including breads, meats and vegetables and drinking water (Vincent, 2010). It is required to potentiate insulin and for normal glucose metabolism. Solubilities of Cr(VI) compounds greatly vary from those that are readily soluble to those which are practically insoluble in water (Proctor et al., 2002). All Cr(VI) compounds, regardless of their degree of solubility in water, are considered occupational carcinogens. Cr(VI) compounds are carcinogenic in higher doses, generally considered much more toxic than Cr(III). Carcinogenicity of Cr(VI) is site specific, targeted mainly to the lung and requires massive exposures (Singh et al., 1998).