Copper is important for many processes in our body. It supports the production of red blood cells, metabolism, and the formation of connective tissue and bones, among other things. Copper is also known to play a role in diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, we do not yet know exactly what that role entails. Researchers from Delft University of Technology and the Polish Academy of Sciences have now discovered a new piece of the puzzle. In order to be able to do its work, copper binds to different types of proteins in the cell. And although the complexes that are formed in this process are themselves not harmful, temporary ‘intermediate forms’ appear to arise during the binding, which can lead to damage to the cell. The results of the research have been published in Angewandte Chemie.
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Source: Phys.org