In 1928, it was discovered that copper was essential for normal human
metabolism. Ten years later, 1938, it was observed that patients with
rheumatoid arthritis had a higher than normal serum copper
concentration, which returned to normal wi th remission of this disease.
Thirteen years later, it was found that copper complexes were effective
in treating arthritic diseaseS. The first report that copper complexes
had antiinflammatory activity in an animal model of in- flammation
appeared twenty-two years after the discovery of essen- tiality. In
1976, it was suggested that the active forms of the anti- arthritic
drugs are their copper complexes formed in vivo. This suggestion was
confirmed and extended in the interim with over 1000 recent
publications, and many of these were addressed in the proceed- ings of
our first symposium, published in 1982. The present symposium was
organized to present new normal physiological, nutritional, and
biochemical aspects of essential metal- loelement metabolism as well as
variations in metabolism associated with disease states. In addition new
data concerning antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, anticancer,
anticarcinogenic, analgesic, and radioprotectant activities of copper
complexes were presented. These activities are consistent with the
notion that they represent the facilitation of normal copper-dependent
metabolic processes in dis- ease states. The presentations and
interactive discussions that fol- lowed are contained in these
proceedings. John R. J. Sorenson Dedication These proceedings are
dedicated to those who made this truly memorable scientific and social
Arkansas experience possible.
