El cobre y sus nanopartículas: conexiones en la naturaleza, tecnología y salud humana Cobre e saúde humana
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El cobre, conocido también como el “metal rojo”, es un elemento esencial tanto en la naturaleza como en la tecnología. Presenta dos formas iónicas que funcionan como micronutrientes esenciales y participan en diversos procesos fisiológicos, como la eritropoyesis, la transmisión del impulso nervioso y mecanismos críticos del sistema inmunológico. En su forma metálica ha sido utilizado por la humanidad durante 10 mil años y su uso forma parte de nuestra historia. Actualmente, el cobre metálico se emplea en sectores como la electrónica y la construcción; y, además, puede transformarse para crear nanoestructuras conocidas como nanopartículas de cobre (CuNPs), las cuales presentan propiedades fisicoquímicas únicas. Las CuNPs se utilizan en biomedicina (como agentes antimicrobianos y anticancerígenos), así como en electrónica, textiles, alimentos y catálisis. Sin embargo, su bioseguridad depende del tamaño, la concentración y el método de síntesis. Este artículo revisa el impacto del cobre en la salud humana, primero como micronutriente, y después como CuNPs, desde efectos antioxidantes hasta el potencial daño hepático, pulmonar y neurológico. La exposición ocupacional a estas nanopartículas, especialmente en sectores como la construcción, representa un riesgo emergente. En cuanto a regulación, México cuenta con estándares de carácter voluntario, los cuales han sentado las bases para el manejo responsable de nanomateriales, y así garantizar el uso seguro de las CuNPs. Aunque para seguir avanzando en estos temas, es necesario comprender la biotransformación del cobre y evaluar los riesgos ambientales con el objetivo de promover un desarrollo sostenible y seguro de esta nanotecnología.
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Mundo Nano. Revista Interdisciplinaria en Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, editada por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, se distribuye bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional.
Basada en una obra en http://www.mundonano.unam.mx.
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