Copper;dichloride

Copper is an essential nutrient which serves as a co factor for serum ceruloplasmin, an oxidase necessary for proper formation of the iron carrier protein, transferrin. Copper also helps maintain normal rates of red and white blood cell formation. Providing copper during Total Parenteral Nutrition helps prevent development of the following deficiency symptoms: Leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia, depressed ceruloplasmin levels, impaired transferrin formation, secondary iron deficiency and osteoporosis.

The in vitro interaction of organic copper compounds with rat liver glutathione S-transferases was studied with reduced glutathione and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as substrates. Both organic and inorganic copper are spontaneously conjugated with glutathione, but interact with glutathione S-transferase by direct binding to these proteins.

Mean copper absorption of 57 percent (range 40 to 70 per cent) following oral administration of 0.4 - 4.5 mg copper (as copper acetate) to four volunteers. An early human study suggested a maximum blood copper concentration was reached some two hours after oral copper chloride administration (1.5 - 12 mg copper)

Renal

Copper is distributed to all tissues with the highest concentrations in liver, heart, brain, kidneys and muscle. Intracellular copper is predominantly metallothionein-bound. Reported copper in the lungs, liver, kidney, blood, bile and stomach (33.7, 35.1, 41.4, 13.8, 2.8, and 2988 µg/g wet weight respectively)