Decrease in biliary excretion of copper in Long-Evans cinnamon (LEC) rats causing spontaneous hepatitis due to a gross accumulation of hepatic copper.
The concentration of biliary Cu was 0.12 +/- 0.01 microgram/ml in male LEC rats aged 14 weeks and 0.43 +/- 0.09 micrograms/ml in Fischer rats of the same age. When copper chloride (170 micrograms/kg b.w. as Cu) was infused intravenously (i.v.), the concentration of biliary Cu increased to only 0.21 +/- 0.06 microgram/ml 30 min after the infusion in LEC rats. In contrast, Fischer rats showed a concentration about 10 times higher (4.02 +/- 2.2 micrograms/ml) than that before the infusion. In Fischer rats pretreated with cadmium chloride, the biliary Cu concentration was 1.04 + 0.43 micrograms/ml 30 min after infusion of copper. Horseradish peroxidase (E.C.1.11.1.7) infused iv along with copper chloride was excreted into bile at a low level in LEC rats compared to Fischer rats. Our results suggest that the gross accumulation of hepatic Cu in the new, mutant LEC rats is due to a low excretion of Cu into bile and that the hepatobiliary dysfunction is related to spontaneous hepatitis.
Sugawara
N
N
Department of Public Health, Sapporo Medical College, Japan.
Li
D
D
Sugawara
C
C
Miyake
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000378:metabolism*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology; D019256:Cadmium Chloride; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D003300:Copper / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006520:Hepatitis, Animal / Q000209:etiology*; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D002712:Chlorides; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D019256:Cadmium Chloride; C029892:cupric chloride