Changes in Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase, cytochrome c oxidase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione transferase activities in copper-deficient mice and rats.

Dietary copper deficiency was produced in Swiss albino mice and Sprague Dawley rats to compare changes in selected antioxidant enzymes. A 5-wk dietary treatment was employed, starting approximately 1 wk after birth for mice (initially via dams) and 3 wk after birth for rats. An additional confirmatory experiment was conducted with mice using the postweanling paradigm. Mouse offspring (6 wk of age) and rats (8 wk of age) maintained on a Cu-deficient treatment were compared with Cu-adequate controls. Compared with Cu-adequate animals, Cu-deficient mice and rats were anemic, had lower ceruloplasmin activities and liver copper levels, and had higher relative weights of heart and small intestine. Activity of cytochrome c oxidase (mice) and Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (mice and rats) was lower in all seven organs examined from Cu-deficient animals compared with Cu-adequate animals, although there were organ and species differences. Compared with Cu-adequate controls, glutathione peroxidase activity was lower in liver and plasma of Cu-deficient mice and rats. Hepatic glutathione transferase activity was markedly lower in those Cu-deficient mice started on treatment at 1 wk of age but not in those mice or rats subjected to postweanling copper deficiency.