Toxicity copper

Relatively high levels of copper in pig diets can improve nutritional performance due to the antimicrobial effects in the gastrointestinal tract. However, if land is fertilized with dung from pigs and subsequently grazed by sheep, the sheep may suffer copper toxicity because of their increased susceptibility to copper compared with pigs. Similarly, pig diets would be unacceptable for sheep because of the high levels of copper therein. 

Harris, Z. L. and Gitlin, J. D. Genetic and molecular basis for copper toxicity. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 63 836S-841S, 1996. 

Two inherited human diseases that represent abnormal copper metabolism are Menkes syndrome and Wilson s disease. Menkes syndrome, with symptoms similar to those of copper deficiency, is characterized by a progressive brain disease, abnormally low copper concentrations in liver and other tissues, and diminished ability to transfer copper across the absorptive cells of the intestinal mucosa (USEPA 1980 Aaseth and Norseth 1986). Wilson s disease (hepatolenticular degeneration) is the only significant example of copper toxicity in humans. Wilson s disease is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects normal copper homeostasis and is characterized by excessive... 

Sensitivity of cancerous cells to copper may reflect cell DNA content. Two closely related rat hepatoma cell lines differed in sensitivity to copper toxicity by a factor of four DNA content in each cell line decreased with increasing copper concentrations, but at different rates. Severity of toxicity was associated with increasing accumulations of copper in the cell nucleus and with decreasing DNA (Toussaint and Nederbragt 1993). 

No data are available on copper toxicity to avian wildlife. Experiments with domestic poultry show that copper accumulates in livers of mallard ducklings at dietary concentrations as low as 15 mg/kg DW ration that gizzard histopathology and a reduction in weight gain of chicks (Gallus sp.) occur at 250 to 350 mg Cu/kg DW ration and that growth of turkey poults is improved at... 

Tests show that the presence of soil reduces the toxicity of copper to the soil-dwelling nematode Caenorhabditis elegans copper toxicity to nematodes increases with increasing densities of bacteria and increasing concentrations of sodium chloride or potassium chloride (Donkin and Dusenbery 1993). Terrestrial isopods efficiently assimilate and store copper as detoxihed granules in the hepatopancreas this activity is in contrast to many species of marine crustaceans that are unable to assimilate, detoxify, or otherwise regulate copper (Weeks and Rainbow 1993). 

Establishment of specific biomarkers for copper toxicity (ATSDR 1990)... 

Handbook on the Toxicology of Metals. Second edition. Volume II Specific Metals. Elsevier, New York. Abalde, J., A. Cid, S. Reisiz, E. Torres, and C. Herrero. 1995. Response of the marine macroalga Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophycea) to copper toxicity in short time experiments. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 54 317-324. 

Anderson, B.S., D.P. Middaugh, J.W. Hunt, and S.L. Turpen. 1991. Copper toxicity to sperm, embryos and larvae of topsmelt Atherinops affinis with notes on induced spawning. Mar. Environ. Res. 31 17-35. Ankley, G.T., E.N. Leonard, and V.R. Mattson. 1994. Prediction of bioaccumulation of metals from contaminated sediments by the oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus. Water Res. 28 1071-1076. 

Banerjee, S. and S. Homechaudhuri. 1990. Hematological monitoring of a bio-indicator fish, Heteropneustes fossilis, on exposure to copper toxicity. Israeli Jour. Aquacul. Bamigdeh 42 46-51. 

Betzer, S.B. and P.P. Yevich. 1975. Copper toxicity in Busycon canaliculatum L. Biol. Bull. 148 16-25. 

Bremner, 1.1979. Copper toxicity studies using domestic and laboratory animals. Pages 285-306 in J.O. Nriagu (ed.). Copper in the Environment. Part 2 Health Effects. John Wiley, NY. 

Buckley, W.T. and R.M. Tait. 1981. Chronic copper toxicity in lambs a survey of blood constituent responses. Canad. Jour. Anim. Sci. 61 613-624. 

Daly, H.R., I.C. Campbell, and B.T. Hart. 1990a. Copper toxicity to Paratya australiensis I. Influence of nitrilotriacetic acid and glycine. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 9 997-1006. 

Erickson, S.J., N. Lackie, and T.E. Maloney. 1970. A screening technique for estimating copper toxicity to estuarine phytoplankton. Jour. Water Pollut. Control Feder. 42(8), Part 2 R270-R278. 

Gopinath, C. and J.M. Howell. 1975. Experimental chronic copper toxicity in sheep. Changes that follow the cessation of dosing at the onset of haemolysis. Res. Veterin. Sci. 19 35 43. 

Gummow, B., C.J. Botha, A.T. Basson, and S.A. Bastianello. 1991. Copper toxicity in ruminants air pollution as a possible cause. Onderstepoort Jour. Veterin. Res. 58 33-40. 

Hansen, J.I., T. Mustafa, and M. Depledge. 1992a. Mechanisms of copper toxicity in the shore crab, Carcinus maenas. I. Effects on Na, K-ATPase activity, haemolymph electrolyte concentrations and tissue water contents. Mar. Biol. 114 253-257. 

Okazaki, R.K. 1976. Copper toxicity in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 16 658-664. 

Ozoh, P.T.E. 1992b. The effect of temperature and salinity on copper body-burden and copper toxicity to Hediste (Nereis) diversicolor. Environ. Monitor. Assess. 21 11-17. 

Soucek, D.J. and G.R Noblet. 1998. Copper toxicity to the endoparasitic trematode (Posthodiplostomum minimum) relative to physid snail and bluegill sumfish intermediate hosts. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 17 2512-2516. 

Stacey, N.H. and C.D. Klaassen. 1981. Copper toxicity in isolated rat hepatocytes. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 58 211-220. 

Todd, J.R. 1969. Chronic copper toxicity of ruminants. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 28 189-198. 

Dithiocarbamates and xanthates form particularly stable, neutral complexes with Cu(II), Cd(II) (and also Ni, Hg, Pb), which are membrane permeable and increase the apparent bioaccumulation of these metals [13]. In the series of sulfoxine, oxine, and chloroxine, the hydrophobicity of the neutral and the charged form, as well as of the Cu complex, increases. While the sulfoxine is not hydrophobic and does not modulate copper toxicity [220], the Cu-oxine complex is hydrophobic with an octanol-water partition constant, log Kok, of 1.7 [221] or 2.6 [222]. Chloroxine can be assumed to be even more hydrophobic, but so far its influence on uptake and toxicity has not been investigated. Uptake of Cu2+ into unilamellar liposomes was increased in the presence of 8-hydroxy-chinoline, and decreased again after adding HA [223],... 

Santore, R. C., Di Toro, D. M., Paquin, P. R., Allen, H. E. and Meyer, J. S. (2001). Biotic ligand model of the acute toxicity of metals. 2. Application to acute copper toxicity in freshwater fish and Daphnia, Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 20, 2397-2402. 

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