Copper metabolism and diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases
BACKGROUND:Copper is an essential trace element and plays a key role in series of physiological activities in the body.Metabolic disturbance of copper is closely associated with multiple diseases.Copper metabolism is mainly involved in the absorption,transport,storage and excretion of copper ions,and all the above processes regulate copper homeostasis in the body.In recent years,many studies have confirmed that copper homeostasis disorder severely affects the metabolic activities of the body and cause diseases in various systems.Besides,the role of copper in oral diseases has been of great interest.OBJECTIVE:To explore the role of copper in occurrence,development,and treatment of oral diseases,and provide a comprehensive overview of research advances in this field.METHODS:The first author searched relevant studies on copper in oral diseases using a computer in PubMed,Web of Science,and CNKI.The key words were"Cu,copper,copper metabolism,oral diseases,oral squamous cell carcinoma,periodontitis,oral submucous fibrosis,oral lichen planus,recurrent oral ulceration,pultitis"in English and Chinese.After screening,78 articles were included for further review and analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma have elevated concentrations of copper in serum and saliva,and elevated copper promotes cancer progression through oxidative stress and promoting angiogenesis.Excessive elevation or reduction of copper concentration in tumor cells can inhibit the growth of tumor cells.The combination of copper and anticancer drugs can significantly improve the efficacy of drugs.(2)The concentration of copper in the serum of patients with periodontitis is increased,and excessive copper can aggravate periodontitis through promoting oxidative stress.Combination of copper and drugs can promote periodontal bone regeneration and periodontal tissue healing.(3)The level of copper is positively correlated with degree of oral mucosa fibrosis.Copper that enters the oral mucosa promotes fibrosis of oral mucosa by enhancing activity of lysyloxidase to increase production of collagen.(4)Copper levels are elevated in patients with oral lichen planus,and elevated copper may promote the progression of oral lichen planus by modulating immune cell function.(5)In patients with recurrent oral ulcers,serum copper level is significantly increased,and utilization of copper becomes disordered,which could decrease copper-containing enzyme activity,thus affecting the healing of ulcers.Copper is closely associated with multiple oral diseases and therapies targeting at copper could obviously enhance the therapeutic effect of drugs.But further studies are still needed to uncover its mechanisms to lay foundation for the better treatment of oral diseases.