Abstract
The effect of copper on the metabolism of 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB) in rat liver was examined, comparing with those of manganese, nickel, and zinc. Copper had the highest effect, followed by manganese, and the effect of nickel was slightly higher than or almost comparable to that of the control group. The effect of zinc gave almost the same or slightly lower activity as the control group. The effect of copper on the activity of DAB metabolism was observed in the microsomal fraction of the rat liver, and the elevation of activity was found with the increase of copper content in the microsomes. The fact seems to indicate that copper plays some role in elevating the metabolic activity. It was also found that the effect of copper on DAB metabolism concerned the elevations of azo reductase activity and ring hydroxylase activity.
