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Regional Specificity in Alterations of Rat Brain Copper and Catecholamines Following Perinatal Copper Deficiency
Author(s) -
Prohaska Joseph R.,
Bailey William R.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1994.63041551.x
Subject(s) - endocrinology , medicine , hypothalamus , dopamine , striatum , copper deficiency , catecholamine , copper , offspring , pons , chemistry , norepinephrine , biology , pregnancy , genetics , organic chemistry
Abstract: Perinatal copper deficiency was studied in 1‐month‐old female and male Sprague‐Dawley rat offspring to investigate regional changes in brain copper and catecholamine levels. Offspring of dams given the low copper treatment beginning at day 7 of gestation exhibited signs characteristic of deficiency such as impaired growth and 10‐fold lower liver copper levels compared with copper‐adequate controls. Regional analysis of brain copper by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy revealed uniform and severe reduction of copper to levels 20 ± 3% of controls in all regions, except the hypothalamus, where reductions to 56 and 28% of those in copper‐adequate females and males, respectively, were measured. HPLC analysis revealed significant reductions in norepinephrine levels in cerebrum, midbrain, corpus striatum, cerebellum, and medulla‐pons of copper‐deficient offspring ranging between 39 and 67% of control values. There were no significant differences in norepinephrine concentration in the hypothalamus. There was a significant, one‐third reduction of dopamine in the corpus striatum of copper‐deficient male rats. Consistent with altered in vivo dopamine β‐monooxygenase activity, there were five‐, three‐, and twofold elevations of dopamine in cerebellum, medulla‐pons, and hypothalamus of copper‐deficient rats. Spectrophotometric measurement of in vitro dopamine β‐monooxygenase activity of brain and adrenal homogenates was higher in copper‐deficient rats, confirming prior work. An explanation for the in vitro data is unclear. Changes in copper and catecholamine levels were influenced by diet and were regionally selective, especially in the hypothalamus.