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Intracellular Distribution of Hepatic Cooper in Normal and Copper-Loaded Sheep^{1 ,2,}

The Pennsyvania State University, University Park 16802

⁵ Address for reprint requests: 205 Animal Industries Building, University Park, PA 16802.

Abstract

This investigation was conducted to determine the intracellular distribution of copper in the liver of normal sheep, and the changes associated with exposure to increased dietary copper. Normal rat liver (3.8 ± 1.0) µg Cu/g liver, wet tissue basis) and normal sheep liver (102.0 ± 37.2 µg Cu/g liver) was processed to give the four common subcellular fractions. When the intracellular distribution of copper in the two species was compared, the cytosol fraction of sheep liver contained a much lower (P<.001) percentage of copper than normal rat liver. Although the debris fraction of sheep contained a higher (P<.001) percentage than the rat, this copper did not appear to be associated with any specific component of this fraction.

Feeding a high level of dietary copper to sheep elevated hepatic copper concentration (238.5 ± 84.2 µg Cu/g liver) significantly (P<.05). Comparison with the normal group showed that with the higher liver copper concentration, proportionally less (P<.05) of the copper was found in the large granule fraction while proportionally more (P<.05) was present in the cytosol. These changes in the intracellular copper distribution of copper-stressed sheep directly oppose what is known for copper-stressed rats.

¹ Authorized for publication on January 26, 1978 as Paper No. 5436 in the journal series of The Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station.

² Supported in part by Fair Funds administered by The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

³ Poultry Science Department.

⁴ Dairy and Animal Science Department.