Blood risk factor metabolites associated with heart disease and myocardial fatty acids in copper-deficient male and female rats

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3181/00379727-191-42923· OSTI ID:5047253

Fields, M; Lewis, C; Beal, T ^[1]; Berlin, E; Kliman, P G; Peters, R C ^[2]

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1. Georgetown Univ. Medical School, WA (USA)
2. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD (USA)

Intact and castrated males and intact and ovariectomized female rats were fed a copper-deficient diet in order to establish whether the protection provided in females against cardiovascular pathology and mortality is due to endogenous sex hormones, and different levels of blood lipids and/or myocardial fatty acids. Seventy-three male and female rats were assigned to a copper-deficient diet (0.6 {mu}g of copper/g diet) containing 62% fructose for 8 weeks. Twelve of the male rats underwent castration and 12 of the females were ovariectomized. All animals exhibited high levels of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid, which were neither affected by the sex of the rat nor by the surgical treatment. The composition of fatty acids of the myocardium was similar in males and females. Except for those animals that were sacrificed by us, all other male rats died of heart pathology. In contrast, none of the female rats exhibited heart pathology and none died of the deficiency. It is suggested that heart pathology and mortality in copper deficiency are sex related and not due to high levels of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid or to differences in myocardial fatty acid composition.

• OSTI ID: 5047253
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine; (USA), Journal Name: Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine; (USA) Vol. 191:3; ISSN PSEBA; ISSN 0037-9727
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550900* -- Pathology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
BODY
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHOLESTEROL
COPPER
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
FUNCTIONS
HEART
HORMONES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
METALS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOGENESIS
RATS
RODENTS
SEX DEPENDENCE
STEROID HORMONES
STEROIDS
STEROLS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES