Effect of Vitamin D on the Utilization of Zinc, Cadmium and Mercury in the Chick

Abstract

Studies were reported on the effect of vitamin D on the metabolism of zinc, cadmium and mercury after administration of isotopes of these elements orally and subcutaneously to rachitic chicks. The movement of zinc and cadmium from an oral dose into bone was significantly increased by vitamin D, (no such increase was found for mercury). When zinc and cadmium were dosed subcutaneously, no difference in concentration of isotopes in bone between supplemented and nonsupplemented birds was observed. These findings suggest that vitamin D may exert an effect on the metabolism of both zinc and cadmium and that the site of this effect is in the absorption mechanism. Attention is drawn to the similarity of the results obtained with zinc and cadmium in these experiments and those obtained previously with calcium and other elements of the Group IIA series.