title: [Metallothionein and medicine].
abstract: Metallothioneins are attractive substances. One of the features of these proteins is the inducibility in response to heavy metals, to a great variety of metabolites and to stress factors. In mammalia, their synthesis may be induced by interleukin-6 in response to inflammation. Metallothionein could prevent renal toxicity of cDDP without compromising its anticancer activity. However, metallothionein is also implicated in the resistance to cDDP. There are now good evidences that metallothionein is involved in many diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, toxemia of pregnancy, liver disease, etc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Beijing Medical University.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000931:Antidotes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002105:Cadmium Poisoning / Q000188:drug therapy; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006801:Humans; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D008668:Metallothionein