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Nutrient Physiology, Metabolism, and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions

Copper Deficiency Does Not Lead to Taurine Deficiency in Rats¹

² Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, CA 95616 and ³ Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: qrrogers{at}ucdavis.edu.

Copper deficiency has been reported to cause a decrease in urinary taurine excretion in rats. We determined whether Cu deficiency would decrease taurine status and the hepatic activities of cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) and/or cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD) in rats. Ten weanling male rats were assigned to either a Cu-adequate (+Cu) or Cu-deficient (–Cu) group. All rats consumed a Cu-deficient purified diet and water ad-libitum for 16 wk. The water for the +Cu group contained 20 mg Cu/L as CuSO₄. At wk 16, the groups differed (P < 0.05) in the following variables (means ± SEM, –Cu vs. +Cu): body weight (BW), 375 ± 19 vs. 418 ± 2.9 g; food intake, 16.2 ± 0.7 vs. 18.5 ± 0.4 g/d; hematocrit, 0.294 ± 0.027 vs. 0.436 ± 0.027; hemoglobin, 95.2 ± 9 vs 134 ± 10 g/L; liver Cu, 8.7 ± 2.0 vs. 65.9 ± 2.5 nmol/g; plasma Cu, 0.38 ± 0.09 vs. 13.4 ± 0.61 µmol/L; plasma ceruloplasmin activity, 1.75 ± 1.0 vs. 67.9 ± 8.4 IU; relative heart weight, 0.56 ± 0.04 vs. 0.35 ± 0.02% BW; relative liver weight, 4.06 ± 0.23 vs. 3.37 ± 0.06% BW; and liver CSAD activity, 18.8 ± 1.37 vs. 13.5 ± 1.11 nmol · min^–1 · mg protein^–1. The groups did not differ at wk 16 in: plasma taurine, 249 ± 14 vs. 298 ± 63 µmol/L; whole blood taurine, 386 ± 32 vs. 390 ± 25 µmol/L; urinary taurine excretion, 82.5 ± 15 vs. 52.0 ± 8.3 µmol/d; liver taurine, 2.6 ± 0.7 vs. 2.8 ± 0.4 µmol/g; liver total glutathione, 6.9 ± 0.48 vs. 6.3 ± 0.40 µmol/g; liver cyst(e)ine, 96 ± 7.1 vs. 99 ± 5.3 nmol/g and liver CDO activity, 2.19 ± 0.33 vs. 2.74 ± 0.21 nmol · min^–1 · mg protein^–1. These findings support the conclusion that Cu deficiency does not affect body taurine status.