Biochemistry of the Lanthanides

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Historical Introduction

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 1-8

3. Chemical Properties of Biochemical Relevance

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 9-46

4. Biochemical Techniques Which Employ Lanthanides

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 47-84

5. The Interaction of Lanthanides with Amino Acids and Proteins

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 85-172

6. Interactions of Lanthanides with Other Molecules of Biochemical Interest

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 173-209

7. Interactions of Lanthanides with Tissues, Cells, and Cellular Organelles

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 211-283

8. The Occurrence and Metabolism of Lanthanides

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 285-337

9. Toxicology and Pharmacology of the Lanthanides

   • C. H. Evans

   Pages 339-389

10. Past, Present, and Possible Future Clinical Applications of the Lanthanides

    • C. H. Evans

    Pages 391-425

11. Back Matter

    Pages 427-444

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By a happy coincidence, the completion of this text coincided with the 200th anniversary of the discovery of gadolinite, the mineral with which the lanthanide story begins. For a group of elements which occur in only trace amounts biologically, and which have no known metabolic role, the lanthanides have spawned a surprisingly large biochemicalliterature. Se­ rious interest in the biochemical properties ofthese elements can be traced to concerns about the safety of radioactive lanthanides toward the end of World War 11. As recent events at Chernobyl indicate, this concern re­ mains topical. However, the literature on lanthanide biochemistry pre­ dates the atomic era, beginning with sporadic, medically motivated studies in the latter part of the 19th century. Much of the present biochemical activity involving the lanthanides centers around their ability to provide 2 important information on the interactions of Ca + with macromolecules and with eukafyotic cells. With the increasing industrial use of the lan­ thanides, their toxicological properties will need to be examined more closely. Rare earth pneumonoconiosis has already been identified as a disease produced by industrial exposure to lanthanides. Several of the biochemical properties of the lanthanides are of relevance to modern medicine. Already cerium-based ointments are used to treat burn wounds, while paramagnetic lanthanides find application in nuclear magnetic res­ onance imaging. This book is an attempt to collate and to present in reasonable detail existing knowledge of lanthanide biochemistry before the literature be­ comes unmanageable.

• 19th century
• Atom
• amino acid
• biochemistry
• biological
• chemistry
• earth
• macromolecule
• macromolecules
• metabolism
• mineral
• molecule
• pharmacology
• protein
• toxicology

• The Ferguson Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

  C. H. Evans

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