CARDIOMYOPATHY INDUCED BY MARGINAL COPPER DEFICIENCY IN RATS

Authors: KANG, Y - UNIV OF LOUISVILLE; LI, YAH - UNIV OF LOUISVILLE; Saari, Jack; SCHUSCHKE, DALE - UNIV OF LOUISVILLE

Submitted to: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2003
Publication Date: 3/24/2004
Citation: Kang, Y.J., Li, Y., Saari, J.T., Schuschke, D.A. 2004. Cardiomyopathy induced by marginal copper deficiency in rats [abstract]. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal. 18:A483.

Interpretive Summary: Severe copper (Cu) deficiency causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in animal models. However, only marginal rather than severe Cu restriction occurs in human food consumption. Thus, it is relevant to examine the effect of a long-term marginal Cu deficiency on the heart. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed AIN-76 diet containing 6, 3, or 1.5 mg Cu/kg. Five rats per group were sacrificed on 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 month after initiation of the feeding. The only significant (p<0.05) systematic changes were that the body weight gain was reduced and kidney Cu concentrations were decreased in the rats fed 1.5 mg Cu/kg diet. Collagen deposition and increased number of mitochondria along with increased volume and disarrangement and disruption of cristae occurred in the heart of rats fed lower concentrations of Cu in the diet. Functional analysis revealed a depression in both diastolic and systolic function in the later days of feeding lower Cu diets. These results thus demonstrate that the heart is sensitive to marginal Cu deficiency-induced alterations. In the absence of the most indications of systemic Cu deficiency, myocardial morphological and functional changes have taken place in rats fed marginal Cu deficient diets. Supported by USDA Grant 2002-35200-11573.

Technical Abstract: Severe copper (Cu) deficiency causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in animal models. However, only marginal rather than severe Cu restriction occurs in human food consumption. Thus, it is relevant to examine the effect of a long-term marginal Cu deficiency on the heart. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed AIN-76 diet containing 6, 3, or 1.5 mg Cu/kg. Five rats per group were sacrificed on 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 month after initiation of the feeding. The only significant (p<0.05) systematic changes were that the body weight gain was reduced and kidney Cu concentrations were decreased in the rats fed 1.5 mg Cu/kg diet. Collagen deposition and increased number of mitochondria along with increased volume and disarrangement and disruption of cristae occurred in the heart of rats fed lower concentrations of Cu in the diet. Functional analysis revealed a depression in both diastolic and systolic function in the later days of feeding lower Cu diets. These results thus demonstrate that the heart is sensitive to marginal Cu deficiency-induced alterations. In the absence of the most indications of systemic Cu deficiency, myocardial morphological and functional changes have taken place in rats fed marginal Cu deficient diets. Supported by USDA Grant 2002-35200-11573.