Effects of a copper-deficient diet on the biochemistry, neural morphology and behavior of aged mice.
Copper dyshomeostasis has been suggested as an aetiological risk factor for some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. However, the precise mechanism at the base of this involvement is still obscure. In this work, we show the effects of a copper-deficient diet in aged CD1 mice and the influence of such a diet on: a) the concentration of various metal ions (aluminium, copper, iron, calcium, zinc) in the main organs and in different brain areas; b) the alteration of metallothioneins I-II and tyrosine hydroxylase immunopositivity in the brain; c) behavioural tests (open field, pole, predatory aggression, and habituation/dishabituation smell tests). Our data suggested that the copper-deficiency was able to produce a sort of "domino effect" which altered the concentration of the other tested metal ions in the main organs as well as in the brain, without, however, significantly affecting the animal behaviour.
CNR-Institute for Biomedical Technologies, Metalloproteins Unit, Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Silvia
S
Bolognin
Federica
F
Pasqualetto
Carla
C
Mucignat-Caretta
Janez
J
Scancar
Radmila
R
Milacic
Pamela
P
Zambenedetti
Bruno
B
Cozzi
Paolo
P
Zatta
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004032:Diet; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism; D008670:Metals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D008670:Metals; C491054:Mt2 protein, mouse; D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase