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Metals in medicine are used in organic systems for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Inorganic elements are also essential for organic life as cofactors in enzymes called Metalloproteins. When metals are scarce or high quantities, equilibrium is set out of balance and must be returned to its natural state via interventional and natural methods. == Toxic metals == Metals can be toxic in high quantities. Either ingestion or faulty metabolic pathways can lead to metal poisoning. Sources of toxic metals include cadmium from tobacco, arsenic from agriculture and mercury from volcanoes and forest fires. Nature, in the form of trees and plants, is able to trap many toxins and can bring abnormally high levels back into equilibrium. Toxic metal poisoning is usually treated with some type of chelating agent.〔Nash, Robert A. “Metals in Medicine.” Alternative Therapies II.4 (2005):18-25.〕〔Lippard, Stephen J. “Metals in Medicine.” Bioinorganic Chemistry. Mill City: University Science Books, 1994. 505-583.〕 Heavy metal poisoning, e.g., Hg, Cd, Pb, are particularly pernicious. Examples of specific types of toxic metals include: * Copper: copper toxicity usually presents itself as a side effect of low levels of the protein ceruloplasmin, which normally is involved in copper storage. This is referred to as Wilson’s disease. Wilson's disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder whose mutation causes the ATPase that transports copper into bile and ultimately incorporates it into ceruloplasmin to malfunction. * Plutonium: Ever since the nuclear age, plutonium poisoning is a potential danger, especially among nuclear reactor employees; inhalation of Pu dust is particularly dangerous due to its intense alpha particle emission. There have been very few cases of Plutonium poisoning. * Mercury: Mercury is usually ingested from agricultural sources or other environmental sources. Mercury poisoning can lead to neurological disease and kidney failure if left untreated. * Iron: iron toxicity, Iron poisoning, or Iron overload is well known. Iron does test only very weakly positive for the Ames test for cancer, however, since it is such a strong catalyst and essential for the production of ATP and consequently DNA production, any excess soluble iron is toxic especially over time. Too much iron deposited in tissues or high levels in the blood stream has been successfully linked to a vast majority of human diseases from Alzheimer's to Malaria. In Botany, iron is a severe problem for the irrigation of plants like rice, maize, or wheat in Sub-Saharan Africa whose subterranean water contains excessive amounts of iron which then poisons these crops. * Lead and Cadmium: Lead and Cadmium poisoning can lead to gastrointestinal, kidney, and neurological dysfunction. The use of unleaded paints and gas has successfully decreased the number of cases of lead heavy metal poisoning. * Nickel, Chromium, and Cadmium: Via metal-DNA interactions, these metals can be carcinogenic.〔 * Nickel: Allergies to nickel, particularly from skin to metal contact via jewelry, are common. * Zinc, Cadmium, Magnesium, Chromium: Metal fume fever can be caused by ingestion of the fumes of these metals and leads to fume like symptoms. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Metals in medicine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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