最近,作者证实给清醒的羊静脉注射硫酸铜可引起肺血管阻力明显增离。先用6-羟基多巴胺使儿茶酚胺耗竭或给苯氧苄胺(α-肾上腺索能阻滞剂)可完全阻断这种作用,提示硫酸铜是通过α-肾上腺索髓系统而起作用。铜在儿茶酚胺的生物合成中有重要作用,因为有关酵的活性依赖Cu~(++)这个辅助因子。作者测定了7例原发性肺动脉高压患者(女5,男2)和6名正常妇女的血清铜水平。正常受测者无服用避孕药 Recently, the authors confirmed that injection of copper sulfate into conscious goat causes a significant increase in pulmonary vascular resistance. Depletion of catecholamines or the use of phenoxybenzamine (a-adrenoceptor blocker) with 6-hydroxydopamine completely blocked this effect, suggesting that copper sulfate acts through the α-adrenal cord system. Copper plays an important role in the biosynthesis of catecholamines because the activity of the yeast depends on the Cu ~ (++) cofactor. The authors measured serum copper levels in seven patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (female 5, male 2) and 6 normal women. Normal subjects without taking birth control pills