Minor (also known as “trace”)minerals

Minor (also known as “trace”)minerals
(micro minerals)
1-IRON

Total body content of iron is 3 to 5 gm out of which 75 % is recorded in blood and rest of them are recorded from liver, spleen, bone marrow and muscle. The normal limit for iron consumption is 20 mg/day for adults, 20-30 mg/day for children and 40 mg/day for pregnant women.
2-COPPER

Total human body contains about 100 mg of copper and are encountered in muscle, liver, bone marrow, brain, kidney, heart and in hairs. Enzymes such as cytochrome oxidase, tyrosinase, lysyl oxidase, allanine synthase, monoamine oxidase, superoxide dismutase and phenol oxidase contains copper. The normal copper limit for human are 1.5 to 3 mg/day.
The source
The main sources of copper are cereals, meat, liver, nuts and green leafy vegetables. From the total dietary copper only 10% are absorbed. Copper are mainly excreted through bile. The normal serum level of copper is 25 to 50 mg/dl.

Absorption
Copper is absorption from the stomach and the small intestine. And the absorbed copper is transported to liver in portal blood bound to albumin and is exported to peripheral tissue mainly bound to ceruloplasmin and ,to lesser extent, albumin.

Functions of copper
(a) Copper is necessary for iron absorption and incorporation of iron into
hemoglobin.
(b) It is very essential for tyrosinase activity
(c) It is the co-factor for vitamin C requiring hydroxylation
(d) Copper increases the level of high density lipoprotein and protects the
heart
(e) It is very essential for catalase & SOD enzymes

Abnormal metabolism of copper
The abnormal metabolism of copper leads to Wilson’s disease and Menke’s kidney hair syndrome.

(a) Wilson’s disease
In case of Wilson’s disease ceruloplasmin level in blood is drastically reduced. The incidence of Wilson’s disease is noticed for 1 in 50,000 populations. The defect in a gene encoding copper binding ATPase of liver cells leads to Wilson’s disease. Wilson’s disease leads to
(1) Accumulation of copper in liver leads to hepatocellular degeneration and cirrhosis
(2) Deposition of copper in brain basal ganglia leads to leticular degeneration
(3) Copper deposits as green pigmented ring around cornea and the condition is called as Kayser-Kleischer ring
Over accumulation of copper can be treated by consumption of diet containg low copper and injection of D-penicillamine, which excretes copper through urine.