Scientists have discovered microscopic amounts of elemental, uncharged iron and copper in human tissue for the first time. The metals were detected in postmortem brain samples from two people who had Alzheimer’s disease, according to an international team of experts.
Many enzymes that catalyse chemical reactions in cells require metal ions, which are metal atoms with a net positive charge after losing one or more electrons. These positive ions have the ability to strip electrons from other molecules, oxidising them.
Scientists had previously only found elemental metals like these in bacteria, viruses and plants.
The metals were discovered in beta-amyloid plaques, which are protein aggregates that are a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Changes in copper and iron metabolism in brain tissue have previously been related to neurodegenerative illnesses, such as the production of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. As the minuscule amounts of elemental iron discovered in the new study were magnetic, doctors might theoretically utilise them to diagnose or track illness development.
Post Your Comments