Abstract
Copper deficiency results in alterations in lipid metabolism that include elevations in serum cholesterol and triglycerides and a decrease in whole-body respiratory quotient. Copper-deficient animals are also leaner even though electron micrographs of the myocardium present increased lipid droplet accumulation. To address whether a compromised copper status impacts triglyceride deposition in a tissue-specific manner, the activity of lipoprotein lipase was measured in adipose tissue and cardiac and skeletal muscle. Weanling rats fed a copper-restricted diet (<1 ppm) for 6 wk demonstrated a greater than twofold increase in cardiac lipoprotein lipase activity concomitant with a significant reduction in adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activity. Skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase activity was not altered by the copper-deficient state. The results of this study suggest that copper deficiency may induce a tissue-specific alteration in lipoprotein lipase activity in rats, which may contribute to the notable deposition of lipid substance in myocardium and the concomitant general body leanness.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D. M. Medeiros, J. Davidson, and J. Jenkins, A unified perspective on copper deficiency and cardiomyopathy, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 203, 262–273 (1993).
R. E. C. Wildman, D. M. Medeiros, and J. Jenkins, Comparative aspects of cardiac ultrastructure, morphometry, and electrocardiography of hearts from rats fed restricted dietary copper and selenium, Biol. Trace Element Res. 46, 51–64 (1994).
R. E. C. Wildman, D. M. Medeiros, and E. McCoy, Cardiac changes with dietary copper, iron, or selenium restriction: organelle and basal laminae aberrations, decreased ventricular function, and altered gross morphometry, J. Trace Element Exp. Med. 8, 11–27 (1995).
D. M. Medeiros, D. Bagby, G. Ovecka, and R. McCormick, Myofibrilla, mitochondrial and valvular morphological alterations in cardiac hypertrophy among copper-deficient rats, J. Nutr. 121, 815–824 (1991).
K. G. Allen and L. M. Klevay, Cholesterolemia and cardiovascular abnormalities in rats caused by copper deficiency, Atherosclerosis, 29, 81–93 (1978).
L. M. Klevay, L. Inman, L. K. Johnson, M. Lawler, J. R. Mahalko, D. B. Milne, et al., Increased cholesterol in plasma in a young man during experimental copper depletion, Metabolism, 33, 1112–1118 (1984).
P. W. Harvey and K. G. D. Allen, Lipoproteins and liver lipids in copper-deficient rats, Nutr. Res. 5, 511–525 (1985).
R. C. A. J. M. Hoogeveen, S. K. Reaves, P. M. Reid, B. L. Reid, and K. Y. Lei, Copper deficiency shifts energy substrate utilization from carbohydrate to fat and reduces fat mass in rats, J. Nutr. 124, 1660–1666 (1994).
R. E. C. Wildman, D. M. Medeiros, R. L. Hamlin, H. Stills, D. A. Jones, and J. D. Bonagura, Aspects of cardiomyopathy in copper-deficient pigs: electrocardiography, echocardiography, and ultrastructural findings, Biol. Trace Element Res. 55, 55–70 (1996).
A. Cryer, Tissue lipoprotein lipase activity and its action in lipoprotein metabolism, Int. J. Biochem. 13, 525–541 (1981).
B. W. C. Lau and L. M. Klevay, Postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase in copper-deficient rats, J. Nutr. 112, 928–933 (1982).
S. I. Koo, C. C. Lee, and J. E. Norvell, Effect of copper deficiency on the lymphatic absorption of cholesterol, plasma chylomicron clearance, and postheparin lipase activities. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 188, 410–419 (1988).
P. G. Reeves, F. H. Nielsen, and G. C. Fahey, AIN-93 purified diets for laboratory rodents: final report of the American Institute of Nutrition ad hoc committee on standards for nutritional studies, J. Nutr. 107, 1340–1348 (1993).
G. D. Ovecka, G. Miller, and D. M. Medeiros, Fatty acids of liver, cardiac and adipose tissues from copper-deficient rats, J. Nutr. 118, 480–486, (1988).
L. A. Woollett, D. C. Beitz, R. L. Hood, and S. Aprahamian, An enzymatic assay for activities of lipoprotein lipase, Anal. Biochem. 143, 25–29 (1984).
Y. Noguchi, N. A. Vydelingum, R. N. Younes, S. K. Fried, and M. F. Brennan, Tumor-induced alterations in tissue lipoprotein lipase activity and mRNA levels, Cancer Res. 51, 863–869 (1991).
D. M. Medeiros, Decreased body mass in copper-deficient rats is due to decreased food consumption and not food utilization, Nutr. Res. 15(7), 977–982 (1995).
M. E. Christe and R. L. Rodgers, Altered glucose and fatty acid oxidation in hearts of the spontaneously hypertensive rat, J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 26, 1371–1375 (1994).
Z. El Alaoui-Talibi, S. Landormy, A. Loireau, and J. Moravec, Fatty acid oxidation and mechanical performance of volume-overloaded rat hearts, Am. J. Physiol. 262 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 31), H1068-H1074 (1992).
J. T. Whitmer, Energy metabolism and mechanical function in perfused hearts of syrian hamsters with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 18, 307–317 (1986).
J. A. Davidson, D. M. Medeiros, and R. L. Hamlin, Cardiac ultrastructure and electrophysiological abnormalities in postweanling copper-restricted and copper-replete rats in the absence of hypertrophy, J. Nutr. 122, 1566–1575 (1992).
E. J. Blanchette-Mackie, H. Masuno, N. K. Dwyer, T. Olivecrona, and R. O. Scow, Lipoprotein lipase in myocytes and capillary endothelium of heart:immunohistochemical study, Am. J. Physiol. 256 (Endocrinol. Metab. 19), E818-E828 (1989).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wildman, R.E.C., Mao, S. Tissue-specific alterations in lipoprotein lipase activity in copper-deficient rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 80, 221–229 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:80:3:221
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:80:3:221