Table 3.

Studies on the neuroprotective effect of metallothionein.

Metallothionein Source	Target of Action	Effect	Reference
Metallothionein expressed by aged transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans	aged transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans	Reduction of Aβ and α-syn toxicity	[58]
Metallothionein expressed by dentate granule cells	Dentate granule cells	Chelating Zn2+ and maintaining Zn2+ homeostasis	[59]
Zn7MT-3	α-syn-Cu(II)	Elimination of α-syn-Cu(II) dopamine oxidase activity and removal of Cu(II) from α-syn-Cu(II)	[60]
Human metallothionein 2 peptide (hMT2)	Zebrafish brain	Increased lipid peroxidation and an increased number of dopaminergic neurons	[61]
MT3 expressed by astrocytes	Astrocyte	Increased expression of glutamate transporter protein and glutamine synthetase	[62]
Metallothionein 2A expressed by astrocytes	Astrocyte	Oxidative stress in spinal motor neurons exerts a neuroprotective effect	[8]
MT-2A expressed in the central nervous system	Central nervous system	Higher MT-2A labeling was observed in the subgranular zone and white matter, in the cytoplasm of some cells in the molecular layer, and in the choroid plexus of the brain	[63]
Metallothionein in the cell layer of dentate granules	Dentate granular cell layer	Maintenance of Zn2+ homeostasis and reduction of Aβ1-42 toxicity	[64]