Copper deficiency, lead, and paraoxonase: Li et al. respond.doi: 10.1289/ehp.10151R We appreciate the opportunity to discuss the issue raised by Klevay in his letter. Klevay suggested that the decrease of PON (Passive Optical Network) An optical point-to-multipoint access network. There are no optical repeaters or other active devices in a PON, hence the name "passive. 1 activity in lead workers, as we reported in our article (Li et al. 2006), might be due to copper deficiency induced by lead intoxication. Because the scope of our study did not include the interaction between lead and copper, we did not measure plasma copper level, ceruloplasmin ceruloplasmin /ce·ru·lo·plas·min/ (se-roo?lo-plaz´min) an a2-globulin of plasma believed to function in copper transport and its maintenance at appropriate levels in tissue; levels are decreased in Wilson's disease. , or superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in our cohort. Therefore, it is not possible to test Klevay's hypothesis at this point. Although animal studies have shown that lead ingestion caused a decrease in blood copper level in cattle (Doyle and Younger 1984) and weanling weanling /wean·ling/ (wen´ling) 1. recently weaned. 2. a recently weaned infant. weanling see weaner. rats (Mylroie et al. 1986), the relationship between lead exposure and copper deficiency in humans is less evident. Although Ito et al. (1985) and Patil et al. (2006) showed a decrease of SOD activity in lead workers, results of other studies did not agree with such findings (el-Gazzar and Hamid 1998; Oktem et al. 2004). Whether long-term lead exposure induces copper deficiency in humans is still in question. To our knowledge, there are very few studies dealing with the effects of copper on PON1 activity. Debord et al. (2003) showed that copper ion had weak inhibitory effects on PON1 activity in vitro, whereas Klevay (2004) claimed that a copper deficiency diet caused PON1 activity reduction in rats. With little information available, it is difficult to conclude whether copper has any effects on PON1 activity in humans. However, because of the link between copper deficiency and cardiovascular disease, we agree with Klevay that in the future, the association between lead exposure, copper deficiency, and serum PON1 activity should be examined. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. REFERENCES Debord J, Bollinger JC, Merle merle a pattern of coat color pigmentation with dark, irregular blotches on a lighter background. Seen in some Collies and Welsh corgis. In shorthaired dogs, e.g. Great Danes and Dachshunds, the similar pattern is called dapple. L, Dantoine T. 2003. Inhibition of human serum arylesterase by metal chlorides. J Inorg Biochem 94(1-2):1-4; doi:10.1016/S0162-0134(02)00627-X [Online 27 February 2003]. Doyle JJ, Younger RL. 1984. Influence of ingested lead on thedistribution of lead, iron, zinc, copper and manganese inbovine tissues. Vet Hum Toxicol 26(3):201-204. el-Gazzar RM, Hamid HA. 1998. Changes in some metalloenzymes and trace metals among workers occupationally exposed to lead in battery manufacture. J Egypt Public Health Assoc 73(1-2):87-96. Ito Y, Niiya Y, Kurita H, Shima S, Sarai S. 1985. Serum lipid peroxide level and blood superoxide dismutase activity in workers with occupational exposure to lead. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 56(2):119-127; doi:10.1007/BF00379383. Klevay LM. 2004. Ischemic heart disease Ischemic heart disease Insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle (myocardium). Mentioned in: Myocarditis ischemic heart disease as deficiency disease. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand) 50:877-884. Li WF, Pan MH, Chung MC, Ho CK, Chuang HY. 2006. Lead exposure is associated with decreased serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity and genotype. Environ Health Perspect 114:1233-1236; doi:10.1289/ehp.9163 [Online 18 May 2006]. Mylroie AA, Collins H, Umbles Um´bles n. pl. 1. The entrails and coarser parts of a deer; hence, sometimes, entrails, in general. C, Kyle J. 1986. Erythrocyte erythrocyte (ĭrĭth`rəsīt'): see blood. erythrocyte or red blood cell or red blood corpuscle Blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues. superoxide dismutase activity and other parameters of copper status in rats ingesting lead acetate. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 82(3):512-520; doi:10.1016/0041-008X(86)90286-3 [Online 24 September 2004]. Oktem F, Arslan MK, Dundar B, Delibas N, Gultepe M, Ergurhan Ilhan I. 2004. Renal effects and erythrocyte oxidative stress in long-term low-level lead-exposed adolescent workers in auto repair workshops. Arch Toxicol 78(12):681-687; doi:10.1007/s00204-004-0597-5 [Online 30 October 2004]. Patil AJ, Bhagwat VR, Patil JA, Dongre NN, Ambekar JG,Jailkhani R, Das KK. 2006. Effect of lead (Pb) exposure on the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase catalase /cat·a·lase/ (kat´ah-las) a hemoprotein enzyme that catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen, protecting cells. in battery manufacturing workers (BMW BMW in full Bayerische Motoren Werke AG German automaker. Founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916, the company assumed the name Bayerische Motoren Werke and became known for its high-speed motorcycles in the 1920s. ) of Western Maharashtra (India) with reference to heme biosynthesis Biosynthesis The synthesis of more complex molecules from simpler ones in cells by a series of reactions mediated by enzymes. The overall economy and survival of the cell is governed by the interplay between the energy gained from the breakdown of compounds . Int J Environ Res Public Health. 3(4):329-337. Wan-FenLi Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine National Health Research Institutes Zhunan, Taiwan Hung-YiChuang Graduate Institute of Public Health Kaohsiung Medical University The Kaohsiung Medical University (Traditional Chinese:高雄醫學大學), originally known as "Kaohsiung Medical College", is a private university located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Kaohsiung, Taiwan E-mail: ericch@cc.kmu.edu.tw |
|
||||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion