Copper in supernatant fractions of various rat tissues. Studies with 67Cu
Terao, T.; Owen, C.A.
Mayo Clinic Proceedings 49(6): 376-381
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-6196 PMID: 4835808 Document Number: 70335
Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing about 300 g on a stock diet were given 50 to 100 mu Ci 65Cu by vein and were killed 30 min, 1, 6, 24 and 48 h later. Organs and tissues removed and homogenised were the brain, erythrocytes, heart, kidney, large and small intestines, lung, skeletal muscle, spleen, stomach and testis. Supernatant fractions were subjected to chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and G-200 columns. All tissues except erythrocytes incorporated 67Cu into small, about 11 000, medium, about 31 000, and large, about 150 000 daltons, molecules. With erythrocytes incorporation was limited to the medium-sized components. The small component may reflect Cu-binding proteins for transport of the metal into the cell and the medium-sized component may be superoxide dismutase. The status of the large component is obscure.