QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cerklewski, F. L. Articles by Forbes, R. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cerklewski, F. L. Articles by Forbes, R. M.

Influence of Dietary Copper on Lead Toxicity in the Young Male Rat¹

Department of Animal Science, Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801

An investigation of the influence of dietary copper (1, 5, 20 ppm) on toxicity of dietary lead (0 and 200 ppm) in the young male rat in a 4-week period indicated that as dietary copper increased so did the severity of lead toxicity. Evidence included increased lead concentration in kidney and a two- to threefold increase in the excretion of urinary deltaaminolevulinic acid. Liver copper concentration was also found to increase in rats receiving lead at the two lower copper levels. The data suggest that supplementary dietary copper does not lessen the severity of lead toxicity but rather exaggerates it.

KEY WORDS: • lead-copper interaction • lead toxicity • liver copper

¹ Work supported in part by USPHS grant GM-00653 and the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. Work originates from work submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

² Present address: University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Department of Environmental Health, Kettering Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45267.

³ To whom reprint requests should be sent.

Manuscript received 7 May 1976.