The role of copper homeostasis and cuproptosis in cerebrovascular diseases:A novel therapeutic target.

Copper has a broad and important role in biological systems, where it acts as a cofactor at the active sites of a variety of enzymes and is involved in a wide range of physiological activities such as oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, and energy metabolism. Like other trace elements, copper levels maintain a balanced homeostasis in the body, and imbalances in copper homeostasis and cuproptosis it induces are involved in the progression of a range of diseases, such as cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs), including atherosclerosis (AS), hypertension, and stroke. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the relationship between copper and cerebrovascular pathologies may unearth more effective therapeutic strategies that can be effectively applied in the clinic. In this paper, we will briefly describe the process of copper metabolism and cuproptosis, and analyze how copper acts in CVDs from multiple perspectives, to further deepen the understanding of copper metabolism and provide new ideas for the treatment of CVDs.