The physiopathological significance of ceruloplasmin - A possible therapeutic approach

This article reviews and comments on the physiological roles of ceruloplasm in (Cp). We show that, in addition to its ascertained involvement in iron h omeostasis, the protein, by virtue of its unique structure among multicoppe r oxidases, is likely involved in other processes of both an enzymatic and a nonenzymatic nature. In particular, based on the analysis of the kinetic parameters, on the one hand, and of the side-products of the oxidation, on the other, we propose that the long-recognized ability of Cp to interact wi th and oxidize non-iron substrates may be of physiological relevance. The s triking example of 6-hydroxydopamine oxidation is presented, where we show that the catalytic action is carried out readily under physiological condit ions, without release of potentially toxic oxygen intermediates. BIOCHEM PH ARMACOL 60;12:1735-1741, 2000. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.