Metals influence C-peptide, a hormone related to insulin

Images of kidney cells that are stained for C-peptide (green) and nuclei (blue). In the absence of metals, C-peptide is taken up by the cells, but with copper present the amount of C-peptide taken up decreases.
Images of kidney cells that are stained for C-peptide (green) and nuclei (blue). In the absence of metals, C-peptide is taken up by the cells, but with copper present the amount of C-peptide taken up decreases.

A recently accepted publication by Heffern and coworkers in ChemBioChem details how metals like zinc, copper, and chromium affect a peptide hormone known as C-peptide. C-peptide is made during insulin production in the pancreas and may help with sugar transport, kidney disease, and nerve damage in patients with diabetes. Their findings show that copper and chromium stop C-peptide from being taken up by cells but zinc does not. These observations suggest that metals can change how a hormone works and may provide a way to selectively tune other hormones.

More information at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cbic.201900172