Copper increases in both plasma and red blood cells at the onset of acute hepatitis in LEC rats.
Ceruloplasmin is excreted mostly in the apo-form in Wilson's disease patients and Long-Evans rats with a cinnamon-like coat color (LEC rats), an animal model for Wilson's disease, and hence the concentration of Cu in the plasma is low. However, it increases toward and at the onset of acute hepatitis in LEC rats, the increased Cu in the plasma being bound to ceruloplasmin, metallothionein and albumin. Changes in the concentration of Cu in red blood cells (RBCs) were monitored with age for the first time together with that in the plasma in LEC rats. Cu in the RBCs was found to increase to a 5-7 times higher level than that in the plasma toward the onset and peaked at the onset, the pattern being similar to that in the plasma. The source of the Cu increase in the RBCs was discussed, and it was assumed that the so-called free Cu ions that leak from the damaged hepatocytes are bound to albumin and/or taken up by the RBCs.
Suzuki
K T
KT
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan. ktsuzuki@p.chiba-u.ac.jp
Shiobara
Y
Y
Tachibana
A
A
Ogra
Y
Y
Matsumoto
K
K
D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006520:Hepatitis, Animal / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans
D003300:Copper