Distribution of zinc in skeletal muscle and liver tissue in normal and dietary controlled alcoholic rats
Wang, J.; Pierson, R.N.
Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 85(1): 50-58
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-2143 PMID: 1170268 Document Number: 96160
Sprague-Dawley rats on a standard diet were given water or 20% ethanol to drink. At the start of the experiment and after 2, 5, 9 and 14 weeks 2 rats from the control group and 4 rats from the test group were killed. Cell sap, a cell sap-free fraction and a mitochondrial fraction were obtained from liver and skeletal muscle tissues. After 14 weeks the alcoholic rats weighed 62% of the control weight; they had taken 74.3% of the total energy intake of the controls. Plasma Zn in controls showed no change but in alcoholic rats fell throughout the 14 weeks to 60% of the control value. Liver Zn fell significantly in alcoholic rats to about 60% of the control value within 2 weeks and remained low. Muscle Zn fell gradually during the 14 weeks and also was about 60% of control values. Zn in the cell sap-free fraction, cell sap and mitochondria all followed similar patterns. No effect was observed with age in controls but all alcoholic rats showed a fall in Zn, observed in the earliest samples examined and most marked in the mitochondrial fraction.