Authors: Jae Hee Hong Susan E Duncan Andrea M Dietrich Sean F O’Keefe
Publish Date: 2010/08/27
Volume: 231, Issue: 6, Pages: 977-984
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that different copper species formed in saliva have different reactivity in chemical reactions that may be associated with perception of metallic sensation occurring in the oral cavity This study was performed to understand copper speciation in human saliva which will help to understand the perception mechanism of metallic taste Saliva samples were treated with CuSO4·5H2O at the levels of 0 25 10 20 or 40 mg/L as Cu in vitro Also saliva is collected before and after drinking 20 mL of 0 25 and 5 mg/L copper in water in vivo treatment Copper speciation was operationally determined based on apparent molecular size using ultrafiltration coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry For in vitro copper treatment 50–70 of copper was soluble at Cu ≤ 10 mg/L whereas 60–70 of copper was in complex or insoluble form at Cu 20 mg/L For in vivo copper treatment 90–95 of copper was soluble in saliva These results suggest that copper is in the soluble unbound form in saliva at low concentrations At higher concentrations copper either becomes insoluble or binds with salivary componentsThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No 0329474 Any opinions findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation The authors thank Mr Jeffrey Parks in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for ICPMS analysis of copper
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