Human Metabolome Database: Tungsten
Description
Tugnsten is a chemical element that has the symbol W (New Latin: wolframium) and atomic number 74. It is a very hard, heavy, steel-gray to white transition metal. Tungsten is noted for its robust physical properties, especially the fact that it has the highest melting point of all the non-alloyed metals and the second highest of all the elements after carbon. although an interaction between tungsten and molybdenum metabolism has been established, no known essential role for tungsten has been found for animals. In studies with mice and rats, it was found that a slight enhancement in growth of rats occurred when the drinking water was supplemented with tungsten at 5 ug/ml. On the other hand, tungsten slightly shortened the longevity of mice and rats. Tungsten is relatively rapidly elminated from the body with approximately equal amounts appearing in the urine and feces. Bone is the primary retention site for tungsten. Tungsten may also act as an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase.
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