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Plasma Lecithin:Cholesterol Acyltransferase in Copper-Deficient Rats¹

Department of Biochemistry, University of North Dakota and United States Department of Agriculture, Science and Education Administration, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND 58202

Some groups of people with high risk of ischemic heart disease have low lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity in plasma and vice versa. Because we hypothesized a relationship between inadequate copper nutriture and the risk of ischemic heart disease, we measured plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase in copper deficient male Sprague-Dawley rats. Deficiency was verified by the presence of anemia, hypercholesterolemia and low copper concentrations in kidney and skeletal muscle. Three experiments showed a significant decrease (22–32% reduction) in enzyme activity in deficiency. Copper may be required for the synthesis of the enzyme or as a constituent of the enzyme.

KEY WORDS: • copper deficiency • lecithin:cholesterol acetyltransferase

¹ Some of these data were presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in Atlanta, GA, and published in abstract form: Lau, B. W. C. & Klevay, L. M. (1981) Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase in copper deficient rats. Fed. Proc. 40, 944.

Manuscript received 1 May 1981.