Respiratory burst and candidacidal activity of peritoneal macrophages are impaired in copper-deficient rats.
To investigate the effect of dietary copper deficiency on the function of peritoneal macrophages, weaned male Lewis rats were pair-fed diets containing either adequate (7 mg/kg diet; +Cu) or deficient (0.7 mg/kg diet; -Cu) levels of copper for 5 wk. Cellular copper content and the activity of Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase were significantly lower in both resident and thioglycollate-elicited macrophages from -Cu rats than in cells from +Cu controls. Reduced cellular Cu status was associated with impaired respiratory burst as assessed by zymosan-induced chemiluminescent activity and superoxide anion (O2-) generation. Candidacidal activity of macrophages from -Cu rats was also reduced and was highly correlated with chemiluminescent activity and O2- generation. In contrast, phagocytosis of opsonized erythrocytes by peritoneal macrophages from -Cu rats was normal. Elicited peritoneal macrophages from marginally Cu-deficient rats also killed significantly fewer yeast cells than macrophages from +Cu rats. These results demonstrate that macrophage function is impaired by dietary Cu deficiency and that the candidacidal activity of these cells may provide a sensitive indicator of Cu status.
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Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, MD 20705.
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D000818:Animals; D002176:Candida albicans; D003300:Copper / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency*; D004032:Diet; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009895:Opsonin Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology*; D010587:Phagocytosis; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D013864:Thioglycolates / Q000494:pharmacology; D015054:Zymosan / Q000494:pharmacology
D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D013864:Thioglycolates; D013481:Superoxides; D003300:Copper; D015054:Zymosan