The effect of dietary copper on rat plasma apolipoprotein B, E plasma levels, and apolipoprotein gene expression in liver and intestine.

The plasma levels of apo B and apo E, and the level of hepatic and intestinal mRNA coding for these apolipoproteins were investigated in weanling male rats pair-fed for 6 wk with a control or copper-deficient diet. Plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids were significantly increased, and plasma apo B and apo E levels were also markedly increased in copper-deficient rats as compared to control rats. Copper deficiency significantly increased triglyceride levels and decreased cholesterol levels in the liver. No major differences in the levels of hepatic and intestinal apo B and apo E mRNA occurred between control and copper-deficient rats. These data imply that hypertriglyceridemia dn hypercholesterolemia owing to the copper deficiency are not accompanied by modifications in the gene expression at the mRNA level in the liver and intestine of the apolipoproteins studied.