Blood copper as an indicator of copper status with a note on serum proteins and leucocyte counts in copper-deficient rats

Abstract

1. Albumin, α1-, α2-, β- and γ-globulin fractions were demonstrated in serum from control and copper-depleted rats, but no quantitative difference was found in the distribution of the proteins between the two groups of animals. Both the total number of leucocytes and the number of polymorphonuclear leucocytes increased during copper depletion.2. Plasma copper content was found to be superior to whole blood copper content as an index of the copper status of rats at intermediate stages of depletion. The copper content of erythrocytes was found to be unaffected even in the severely depleted animals; this explains, in part, the poor response of whole blood copper content to intermediate stages of depletion.3. A single dose of orally administered copper was reflected in the plasma copper content of depleted rats about 12 h after dosing. No similar rise was observed in control animals, and the extent of the response was not increased by increasing the dose of copper.4. It is suggested that plasma copper response to a single oral dose of copper sulphate may provide a useful method for the detection of subnormal copper status in individual farm animals without the necessity of determining breed norms.

Plasma zinc as an indicator of zinc status in rats

“…Earlier work on the diagnosis of copper deficiency in rats (Dreosti & Quicke, 1968) has pointed to the practicality of a technique based on the response of plasma concentrations to a single oral dose of copper. I n the present studies a similar response was observed with Zn-depleted animals.…”

Availability of Manganese and Iron to Plants and Animals

“…Allaway and others (1968) and Kubota and others (1968) found that Se in human blood had the least variation (computed as range/mean) of any of six elements studied (Table 2). Admittedly, blood levels of a mineral are not always ade quate for estimating body status of some ele ments, for instance Cu (Dreosti and Quicke, 1968;Todd, 1969). The effectiveness of homeo static mechanisms will vary with the chemical *Values computed from data of All away and others (1968) and Kubota and others (1968) form of the element.…”

Effect of zinc on protein-energy malnutrition

“…Plasma samples were diluted 1:4 with deionized water to get a den sity approximately equal to those of the aqueous standards (68). A Unicam SP.90 atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used.…”

“…Enough deionized water was used until the same nitric acid/water ratios were obtained as in the digested samples. Emission spectrophotometry (68), rather than absorption spectrophotoiûctry, was used for sodium analyses. No light source lamp was needed.…”