Metabolic Fate of Metallothionein in Copper and Zinc Interaction in CulturedLiver Cells

摘要

The relationships between Metallothionein (MT) and metals are studied in a rangeof organisms, organs, tissues and cell types; studies are carried out in even larger ranges in experimental conditions. The present thesis deals with the relationships between metallothioneins and copper (CU) and zinc (Zn) and is generally based on the simultaneous analysis of Cu, Zn and MT under all experimental conditions. Special attention is devoted to the analysis of the Cu/Zn-MT complex, aimed at the full determination of MT and MT-associated Zn and Cu. Experimental conditions ranged from (sub)physiological to toxicological circumstances, invariably registrated by a variety of tests on cellular viability.