Copper deficiency does not lead to taurine deficiency in rats.
Copper deficiency has been reported to cause a decrease in urinary taurine excretion in rats. We determined whether Cu deficiency would decrease taurine status and the hepatic activities of cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) and/or cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD) in rats. Ten weanling male rats were assigned to either a Cu-adequate (+Cu) or Cu-deficient (-Cu) group. All rats consumed a Cu-deficient purified diet and water ad-libitum for 16 wk. The water for the (+Cu) group contained 20 mg Cu/L as CuSO(4). At wk 16, the groups differed (P < 0.05) in the following variables (means +/- SEM, -Cu vs. +Cu): body weight (BW), 375 +/- 19 vs. 418 +/- 2.9 g; food intake, 16.2 +/- 0.7 vs. 18.5 +/- 0.4 g/d; hematocrit, 0.294 +/- 0.027 vs. 0.436 +/- 0.027; hemoglobin, 95.2 +/- 9 vs 134 +/- 10 g/L; liver Cu, 8.7 +/- 2.0 vs. 65.9 +/- 2.5 nmol/g; plasma Cu, 0.38 +/- 0.09 vs. 13.4 +/- 0.61 micromol/L; plasma ceruloplasmin activity, 1.75 +/- 1.0 vs. 67.9 +/- 8.4 IU; relative heart weight, 0.56 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.35 +/- 0.02% BW; relative liver weight, 4.06 +/- 0.23 vs. 3.37 +/- 0.06% BW; and liver CSAD activity, 18.8 +/- 1.37 vs. 13.5 +/- 1.11 nmol x min(-1) x mg protein(-1). The groups did not differ at wk 16 in: plasma taurine, 249 +/- 14 vs. 298 +/- 63 micromol/L; whole blood taurine, 386 +/- 32 vs. 390 +/- 25 micromol/L; urinary taurine excretion, 82.5 +/- 15 vs. 52.0 +/- 8.3 micromol/d; liver taurine, 2.6 +/- 0.7 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.4 micromol/g; liver total glutathione, 6.9 +/- 0.48 vs. 6.3 +/- 0.40 micromol/g; liver cyst(e)ine, 96 +/- 7.1 vs. 99 +/- 5.3 nmol/g and liver CDO activity, 2.19 +/- 0.33 vs. 2.74 +/- 0.21 nmol x min(-1) x mg protein(-1). These findings support the conclusion that Cu deficiency does not affect body taurine status.
Ko
Kwang Suk
KS
Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Tôrres
Cristina L
CL
Fascetti
Andrea J
AJ
Stipanuk
Martha H
MH
Hirschberger
Lawrence
L
Rogers
Quinton R
QR
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases / Q000378:metabolism; D002570:Ceruloplasmin / Q000032:analysis; D003300:Copper / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D050558:Cysteine Dioxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006400:Hematocrit; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013654:Taurine / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000652:urine
D013654:Taurine; D003300:Copper; D050558:Cysteine Dioxygenase; D002570:Ceruloplasmin; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases; C019972:sulfoalanine decarboxylase