Copper Sources for Sod1 Activation

Copper ions (i.e., copper) are a critical part of several cellular processes, but tight regulation of copper levels and trafficking are required to keep the cell protected from this highly reactive transition metal. Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (Sod1) protects the cell from the accumulation of radical oxygen species by way of the redox cycling activity of copper in its catalytic center. Multiple posttranslational modification events, including copper incorporation, are reliant on the copper chaperone for Sod1 (Ccs). The high-affinity copper uptake protein (Ctr1) is the main entry point of copper into eukaryotic cells and can directly supply copper to Ccs along with other known intracellular chaperones and trafficking molecules. This review explores the routes of copper delivery that are utilized to activate Sod1 and the usefulness and necessity of each.

The Effects of Copper Addition on The Structure and Antibacterial Properties of Biomedical Glasses

In this work, we studied the effects of copper incorporation in the composition of bioactive glass. Three different glass compositions were synthesized with 0, 3, and 6 mol% of copper addition. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed that an amorphous microstructure was obtained for all three glass compositions. Results from Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) showed that the copper addition in the glass lowers the glass transition temperature, from 646°C to 590°C when added at 6 mol%. X-ray Photoelectron (XPS) survey and high-resolution scans were performed to study the structural effects of copper addition in the glass. Results indicated that the incorporation of copper changes the ratio of bridging to non-birding oxygens in the structure. Glasses were further analyzed for their structure with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which indicated that copper acts as a network modifier in the glass composition and copper-containing glasses show a less connected microstructure. Antibacterial efficacy of the glasses was analyzed against E. coli and S. epidermis. Copper-containing glasses showed a significantly higher inhibition zone compared to control glass. The glass with 6 mol% copper, exhibited inhibition zones of 9 and 16mm against E. coli and S. epidermis bacteria, respectively.