Blood copper as an indicator of copper status with a note on serum proteins and leucocyte counts in copper-deficient rats

Abstract

1. Albumin, α₁-, α₂-, β- and γ-globulin fractions were demonstrated in serum from control and copper-depleted rats, but no quantitative difference was found in the distribution of the proteins between the two groups of animals. Both the total number of leucocytes and the number of polymorphonuclear leucocytes increased during copper depletion.2. Plasma copper content was found to be superior to whole blood copper content as an index of the copper status of rats at intermediate stages of depletion. The copper content of erythrocytes was found to be unaffected even in the severely depleted animals; this explains, in part, the poor response of whole blood copper content to intermediate stages of depletion.3. A single dose of orally administered copper was reflected in the plasma copper content of depleted rats about 12 h after dosing. No similar rise was observed in control animals, and the extent of the response was not increased by increasing the dose of copper.4. It is suggested that plasma copper response to a single oral dose of copper sulphate may provide a useful method for the detection of subnormal copper status in individual farm animals without the necessity of determining breed norms.