Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T04:57:52.170Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of ascorbic acid supplementation on copper metabolism in rats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Gerrit J. Van Den Berg  and
Anton C. Beynen
Gerrit J. Van Den Berg
Affiliation:
Interfaculty Reactor Institute, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft, The Netherlands
Anton C. Beynen
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, State University, PO Box 80.166, 3508 TD Utrecht and Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University, PO Box 8129, 14 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

An attempt was made to unravel further the mechanism by which high dietary concentrations of ascorbic acid influence copper metabolism. The addition of ascorbic acid to the diet of rats caused about a twofold increase in plasma ascorbate concentrations and reduced group mean plasma and tissue concentrations of Cu. The effect of 10 g ascorbic acid/kg diet was greater than that of 1 g/kg. Ascorbic acid feeding reduced blood haemoglobin concentrations and packed cell volume values. Dietary ascorbic acid caused a significant decrease in apparent Cu absorption from the intestine. Ascorbate, intravenously administered together with 64Cu, caused an increase in 64Cu in the liver. Ascorbate, at concentrations occurring in plasma after ascorbic acid feeding, promoted the uptake of 64Cu by isolated hepatocytes. Thus, ascorbate stimulated the efficiency of hepatic uptake of Cu. Ascorbate, intravenously administered together with 64Cu, stimulated accumulation of 64Cu in bile of rats with a bile duct cannula. In rats fed on ascorbic acid, intravenously administered 64Cu was recovered in bile at increased rates. Dietary ascorbic acid enhanced the recovery of intraperitoneally administered 64Cu in faeces. The ascorbate-induced stimulation of biliary 64Cu excretion may reflect an increased hepatic uptake of 64Cu and be caused by an increased specific activity of Cu in liver pools. It is suggested that dietary ascorbic acid reduces tissue Cu concentrations primarily by interfering with intestinal Cu absorption. Ascorbate increases the efficiency of hepatic uptake of Cu, but this effect may not be causatively related with the reduced tissue Cu concentrations after ascorbic acid feeding

Keywords

Tissue copperVitamin CCoppermetabolismAnaemiaRat
Type
Micronutrient Metabolism and Interactions
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 68 , Issue 3 , November 1992 , pp. 701 - 715
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1992

References

Berry, M. N. & Friend, D. S. (1969). A high-yield preparation of isolated rat parenchymal cells. Journal of Cell Biology 43, 506–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiSilvestro, R. A., Barber, E. F., David, E. A. & Cousins, R. J. (1988). An enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay for rat ceruloplasmin. Biological Trace Element Research 17, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DiSilvestro, R. A. & Harris, E. D. (1981). A postabsorption effect of l-ascorbic acid on copper metabolism in chicks. Journal of Nutrition 111, 1964–1968.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ettinger, M. J., Darwish, H. M. & Schmitt, R. C. (1986). Mechanism of copper transport from plasma to hepatocytes. Federation Proceedings 45, 2800–2804.Google ScholarPubMed
Finley, E. B. & Cerklewski, F. L. (1983). Influence of ascorbic acid supplementation on copper status in young adult men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 37, 553–556.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ham, R. G. (1963). An improved nutrient solution for diploid chinese hamster and human cellines. Experimental Cell Research 29, 515–526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heth, D. A. & Hoekstra, W. G. (1965). I. A procedure to determine zinc-65 absorption and the antagonistic effect of calcium in a practical diet. Journal of Nutrition 85, 367–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunt, C. E., Carlton, W. W. & Newberne, P. M. (1970). Interrelationships between copper deficiency and dietary ascorbic acid in the rabbit. British Journal of Nutrition 24, 61–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacob, R. A., Skala, J. H., Omaye, S. T. & Turnlund, J. R. (1987). Effect of varying ascorbic acid intakes on copper absorption and ceruloplasmin levels of young men. Journal of Nutrition 117, 2109–2115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, M. A. & Murphy, C. L. (1988). Adverse effects of high dietary iron and ascorbic acid on copper status in copper-deficient and copper-adequate rats. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 47, 96–101.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milne, D. B., Klevay, L. M. & Hunt, J. R. (1988). Effects of ascorbic acid supplements and a diet marginal in copper on indices of copper nutriture in women. Nutrition Research 8, 865–873.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milne, D. B. & Omaye, S. T. (1980). Effect of vitamin C on copper and iron metabolism in the guinea pig. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research 50, 301–308.Google ScholarPubMed
Milne, D. B., Omaye, S. T. & Amos, W. H. (1981). Effect of ascorbic acid on copper and cholesterol in adult cynomolgus monkeys fed a diet marginal in copper. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 2389–2393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Research Council (1978). Nutrient requirements of domestic animals. Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals no. 10, 3rd ed. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.Google Scholar
Onosaka, S. & Cherian, M. G. (1981). The induced synthesis of metallothionein in various tissues of the rat in response to metals. I. Effect of repeated injection of cadmium salts. Toxicology 22, 91–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Owen, C. A. & Hazelrig, J. B. (1968). Copper deficiency and copper toxicity in the rat. American Journal of Physiology 215, 334–338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parviainen, M. T., Nyyssönen, K., Penttilä, I. M., Seppänen, K., Rauramaa, R., Salonen, J. T. S. & Gref, C.-G. (1986). A method for routine assay of plasma ascorbic acid using high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Liquid Chromatography 9, 2185–2197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Percival, S. S. & Harris, E. D. (1989). Ascorbate enhances copper transport from ceruloplasmin into human K562 cells. Journal of Nutrition 119, 779–784.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, C. H. & Bidlack, W. R. (1980). Interrelationships of dietary ascorbic acid and iron on the tissue distribution of ascorbic acid, iron and copper in female guinea pigs. Journal of Nutrition 110, 1398–1408.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Speek, A. J., Schrijver, J. & Schreurs, W. H. P. (1984). Fluorometric determination of total vitamin C in whole blood by high-performance liquid chromatography with pre-column derivatization. Journal of Chromatography 305, 53–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sunderman, F. W. & Nomoto, S. Jr (1970). Measurement of human serum ceruloplasmin by its p-phenylenediamine oxidase activity. Clinical Chemistry 16, 903–910.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Barneveld, A. A. & Van den Hamer, C. J. A. (1984). Intestinal passage of simultaneously administered 64Cu and 65Zn and the effect of feeding in mouse and rat. Nutrition Reports International 29, 173–182.Google Scholar
Van Campen, D. & Gross, E. (1968). Influence of ascorbic acid on the absorption of copper by rats. Journal of Nutrition 95, 617–622.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van den Berg, G. J., De Goeij, J. J. M., Bock, I., Gijbels, M. J. J., Brouwer, A., Lei, K. Y. & Hendriks, H. F. J. (1991). Copper uptake and retention in liver parenchymal cells isolated from nutritionally copper-deficient rats. Journal of Nutrition 121, 1228–1235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van den Berg, G. J. & Van den Hamer, C. J. A. (1984). Trace metal uptake by liver cells. I. Influence of albumin in the medium on the uptake of copper by hepatoma cells. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 22, 73–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van den Berg, G. J., Van Wouwe, J. P. & Beynen, A. C. (1990). Ascorbic acid supplementation and Cu status in rats. Biological Trace Element Research 23, 165–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Villalon, L., Tuchweber, B. & Yousef, I. M. (1987). Effect of a low protein diet on bile flow and composition in rats. Journal of Nutrition 117, 678–683.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yoshiura, M. & Iriyama, K. (1986). Simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and uric acids in body fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Journal of Liquid Chromatography 9, 177–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar