Dietary copper (Cu)- and age-dependent changes of C-metallothionein in relation to the level of nitric oxide (NO) in the liver of LEC (Long-Evans Cinnamon) rats
✍ Scribed by Hiromu Sakurai; Akihiro Tsuji; Yoshiyuki Sano; Nobuyuki Masuyama; Hidetoshi Asano; Keiji Suzuki; Katsuyuki Nakajima
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 232 KB
- Volume
- 10
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0896-548X
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✦ Synopsis
To understand the unique pathophysiological process of LEC rats (Long-Evans rats with a cinnamon-like coat color), which develop hereditary and spontaneous hepatic injury ∼4 months after birth, the levels of four biometals, such as Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn together with metallothionein (MT) and nitric oxide (NO as NO 2 -plus NO 3 -), were determined in the liver of male and female animals given normal (Cu level: 0.9-1.0 mg/100 g solid) or Cu-deficient (Cu level: <0.1 mg/100 g solid) diet by atomic absorption spectrometry, radioimmunoassay, and the Griess method, respectively. Levels of Cu and MT, which in turn form Cu-MT, increased, whereas the NO level was decreased in the aging process of both male and female rats given a normal diet. Therefore, the accumulated Cu-MT was proposed to scavenge NO, since NO levels in the liver of LEC rats were lowered compared with those of normal Wistar rats given the same diet. In female LEC rats, enhancements of both Cu and MT accumulations were proposed to relate closely to the development of hepatoma as estimated by histochemical staining. In addition, alterations of Fe, Zn, and Mn levels in the liver were obtained, which may contribute the development of jaundice, hepatitis, and hepatoma of LEC rats.