The status of zinc, copper, and metallothionein in cancer patients.

Abstract Metallothioneins that bind copper and zinc have an Mr of 6500 daltons, consist of a single polypeptide chain of 61 amino acids, 25-30 percent of whose residues are cysteine, have a metal-binding capacity of between 5 and 7 g atoms/mol, and contain no disulfide bonds or aromatic amino acids. Zincthionein has been postulated to participate in the transport and storage of zinc, which is involved in more than 235 metalloenzymes, including thymidine kinase, RNA polymerase, and ribonuclease, which in turn play crucial roles in the replication and transcription of DNA during cell division. In addition, trace elements including zinc modulate immune response and function. Conversely, zinc deficiency state causes, for example, thymic atrophy and lymphopenia and modifies antibody-mediated responses to both T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent antigens. The concentrations of copper, zinc, and metallothionein and the copper/zinc ratio are modified in a number of malignancies. For example, the levels of metallothionein in normal and in malignant human livers are 471 and 75 micrograms/g, respectively. In addition, the copper/zinc ratio is significantly increased in human pancreatic cancer from 1.40 to 2.70. Furthermore, studies involving 64Cu in tumor-bearing mice showed that the distribution of 64Cu was altered and that all tumors contained a relatively high level of 64Cu. Moreover, the activity of superoxide dismutase to remove free oxygen radicals is lower in malignant tissues. Finally, the results of clinical studies suggest that the monitoring of the serum copper/zinc ratio may be a valuable tool, not only in determining the extent of malignancies, but also in predicting the efficacy of treatments.