The use of copper-lowering therapy with tetrathiomolybdate in medicine.
BACKGROUND
Tetrathiomolybdate (TM), an anticopper drug, has been developed for the neurologic presentation of Wilson's disease. In animal models, lowering copper levels with TM produces antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, antiautoimmune, and anticancer effects, thought to be due to inhibition of many cytokines that are dependent on available copper for their activity. Clinical testing has been done relatively extensively in Wilson's disease and advanced cancers, but remains in its infancy in other diseases.


OBJECTIVE
To review current preclinical and clinical studies done with TM, and our current knowledge of TM efficacy and toxicity.


METHODS
We have reviewed the last 10 years of literature on TM therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
TM has excellent efficacy and acceptable toxicity for the initial treatment of neurologically presenting Wilson's disease. TM has excellent efficacy in animal models of fibrotic, inflammatory, autoimmune, and neoplastic diseases, as well as Alzheimer's disease models.
Brewer
George J
GJ
University of Michigan Medical School, Departments of Human Genetics and Internal Medicine, G061XMBNI, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5720, USA. brewergj@umich.edu
D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism*; D004194:Disease; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D006801:Humans; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
D003300:Copper; D008982:Molybdenum; C020809:tetrathiomolybdate