Analysis of whole blood manganese by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry and its use as an indicator of manganese status in animals.

To investigate the use of whole blood manganese (Mn) as an indicator of total body Mn, we measured Mn in whole blood and liver of rats fed purified diets containing adequate (45 micrograms Mn/g diet) or deficient (1 microgram Mn/g diet) Mn. The mean hepatic Mn concentration was significantly lower (P less than 0.001) in the Mn-deficient group compared to the control group, 0.36, microgram Mn/g and 1.73 micrograms Mn/g, respectively. Furthermore, whole blood Mn was significantly reduced (P less than 0.001) in the deficient group when compared to the control group, 4.0 ng Mn/ml and 8.6 ng Mn/ml, respectively. Hepatic Mn linearly regressed against whole blood Mn yielded a statistically significant (P less than 0.001) correlation coefficient of 0.775. These data suggest that whole blood Mn is a valid indicator of body Mn status and thus may be useful, in addition to the measurements of serum copper and zinc, for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases in which the metabolism of trace elements is affected. In addition, this paper describes and delineates operational parameters for the measurement of whole blood Mn using the IL 551 atomic absorption spectrophotometer and the IL 555 B flameless atomizer.