EFFECTS OF DIETARY COPPER DEFICIENCY ON THEENZYMATIC COMPONENTS OF THE PRIMARYFREE RADICAL DEFENSE SYSTEMAND SERUM HEMOLYSININ RATS / 营养学报

ABSTRACT

Weanling Wistar rats were fed a modified AIN-76 diet ad libitum for 25 to 57 days, either copper-deficient (0.49mg/kg; CuD) or copper-adequate (6.44mg/kg;CuA). The effects of dietary copper deficiency on the enzymatic components of the primary free radical defense system-super-oxide dismutase (SOD), catalasc (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), lipoperoxides (LPO) and serum hemolysin were examined. The amount of LPO exhibited no significant change even though SOD activity decreased significantly in the tissues of CuD rats, which indicated that Cu-ZnSOD activity responded directly to copper status of the body but the compromises in the overall protection against free radicals were not evident. The profound reduction in scrum hemolysin in CuD rats suggests that humoral immune function is copper dependent. The results also suggest that as an index of evaluating copper nutriture CuZnSOD is more sensitive than hemoglobin to copper deficiency.