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Molybdenum Requirement of Female Rats¹

Department of Food and Nutrition, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1162

Sixty 3-wk-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups of 10 animals each. Group 1 was fed for 8 wk purified AIN-76A diet (basal diet) containing 0.025 mg molybdenum/kg diet. Groups 2–6 were fed the same basal diet supplemented with sodium molybdate to provide total dietary Mo of 0.050, 0.100, 0.200, 0.400 and 0.800 mg/kg diet, respectively. Molybdenum concentration in liver and brain increased linearly up to the 0.200 mg Mo/kg diet level. Beyond this level, no further significant increase occurred. Dietary Mo of 0.100 mg/kg elevated the Mo concentration in heart to its maximal level. Supplementation with 0.025 mg Mo/kg to a total of 0.05 mg Mo/kg diet significantly increased Mo concentration in spleen and kidney; higher levels of dietary Mo did not result in further significant responses. Molybdenum supplementation significantly increased the activities of xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase (XDH), sulfite oxidase and superoxide dismutase in the liver, and of XDH in small intestinal mucosa. Maximal activities were attained at 0.050, 0.050, 0.200 and 0.100 mg Mo/kg diet, respectively. Dietary Mo of 0.200 mg/kg diet was estimated as the Mo requirement of rats fed the AIN-76A diet.

KEY WORDS: • molybdenum • xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase • sulfite oxidase • superoxide dismutase • female rats

¹ Supported by AMAX, Inc., Golden, CO.

² Current address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock, TX 79430.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

⁴ Current address: P.O. Box 768, Nipoma, CA 93444.

Manuscript received 1 July 1991. Revision accepted 22 November 1991.