Abstract
Evidence is accumulating which indicates that copper-deficient animals are prone to oxidative damage. To investigate this possibility further, we measured the production of breath ethane, a hydrocarbon by-product of lipid peroxidation, in copper-deficient rats. Male, weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a purified diet which was deficient in copper (CuD) or the same diet made sufficient with 5 ppm of copper (CuS). After 33 to 34 days the rats were placed individually in gastight metabolic cages through which ethane-free air or 100% O2 was passed. Expired ethane was absorbed onto cold, activated charcoal, liberated by heating, and measured by gas chromatography. Ethane production rates (pmoles/min/100 g ± SD) were 3.3 ± 0.8 (CuS-air), 4.3 ± 1.4 (CuD-air), 8.3 ± 2.5 (CuS-O2), and 12.2 ± 4.3 (CuD-O2). Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that both copper deficiency (P < 0.01) and breathing 100% O2 (P < 0.0001) enhanced ethane production, with no interaction between treatments. This finding complements previous evidence that increased lipid peroxidation occurs in copper-deficient rats.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 30-33 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine |
| Volume | 195 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1990 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology