Abnormal metabolism and distribution of both copper and zinc occurs in many inflammatory and degenerative diseases. The pattern of these changes varies at different stages of these diseases and with differing types of conditions. The corollary to this situation is the possibility of using drugs or metal complexes to modify both the perturbed status of copper and zinc and thus the disease states.
This book comprehensively reviews the clinical and experimental data on the changes in copper and zinc status in different diseases and the use of various complexes of these metals or drugs to treat a diversity of inflammatory and degenerative conditions.

Inhalt
1 History of zinc therapy.- 2 Physiological properties of copper and zinc.- 3 Biological chemistry of copper compounds.- 4 The biological chemistry of zinc.- 5 Copper and zinc metallothioneins.- 6 Zinc in the regulation and therapy of inflammatory diseases and gastrointestinal ulceration.- 7 Copper complexes for therapy of cancer and autoimmune diseases.- 8 Zinc and copper in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.- 9 Topically applied copper preparations for anti-inflammatory therapy.- 10 Regulation by copper of rat adjuvant-arthritis: a model of chronic inflammation especially suitable for studying the mechanisms of copper anti-inflammatory activity.- 11 Copper and zinc compounds and cell surface interactions.- 12 Copper and postmenopausal osteoporosis.- 13 Menkes disease: a genetic defect of copper transport.