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Red Cell Superoxide Dismutase Activity as an Index of Human Copper Nutrition^1,2,

Ricardo Uauy^3,*,,, Carlos Castillo-Duran^*, Mauro Fisberg^*, Nancy Fernandez^* and Alfonso Valenzuela^*

^* Division of Human Nutrition and Medical Sciences, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Casilla 15138, Santiago, Chile Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas, TX 75235

Red cell superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was evaluated as a biochemical index of copper nutrition in a double-blind study of 17 infants recovering from malnutrition and receiving marginal copper intakes. Children were paired on admission by sex, birth weight, nutritional status and antecedents of diarrhea and breast feeding. Nine served as controls receiving a copper sulfate supplement (80 µg/kg daily for 120 d; eight received a placebo and were supplemented only if plasma copper levels dropped below 90 µg/dl or on d 90 for at least 30 d. After copper supplementation there was a significant rise (paired t-test; P < 0.05) in plasma copper (96 vs. 165 µg/dl); ceruloplasmin (33 vs. 50 mg/dl) and SOD (1073 vs. 1371 U/g Hb). After supplementation these values were similar to those of the controls. SOD was correlated with plasma copper (r = 0.78; P < 0.001) and not with weight-for-age or weight-for-length. Addition of copper in vitro did not modify the SOD activity. Red cell SOD is a good marker of copper nutrition in humans and correlates well with plasma copper.

KEY WORDS: • superoxide dismutase activity • copper status • malnutrition

¹ Funded in part by United Nations University and by the Chilean Nutrition Foundation (CONIN).

² Presented in part to the Western Hemisphere Nutrition Congress VII, August 7-11, 1983, Miami Beach, FL.

³ Present address: University of Texas Health Science Center, Department of Pediatrics, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75235.

Manuscript received 4 February 1985. Revision accepted 18 July 1985.

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