In vivo Interactions of Cadmium, Copper, Zinc and Iron in the Mouse and Rat

Abstract

Certain chemical parameters of the elements, copper, zinc, cadmium, and iron and the interactions of these elements were used to obtain insight on their absorption and utilization. Three experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, rats were subjected to a copper depletion pretreatment (pretreatment 1). Mice that received a normal diet in the pre-experimental period (pretreatment 2) were used in experiment 2, and both pretreatments were used with mice in experiment 3. Cadmium decreased gains and hemoglobin levels significantly in all experiments. With pretreatment 1, the combination of copper and zinc largely overcame the adverse effects of cadmium for rats and mice. In pretreatment 2, however, supplemental copper and zinc did not overcome the depressing effect of cadmium. Another pretreatment effect was observed with dietary cadmium. This element increased zinc concentrations in the liver and testes more markedly in pretreatment 2 than in pretreatment 1. Dietary zinc increased liver iron concentration in all cases.