Abstract
A study was conducted to investigate changes in the hepatic phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH) level, and activities of related metalloenzymes such as xanthine oxidase (XOD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and phospholipid hydroperoxide gluthathione peroxidase (PHGPX) in male rats fed an iron-deficient diet from 1 to 4 weeks. Four-week-old male Wistar rats, each weighing about 45g, were divided into 2 groups (a control diet (C) group and an iron deficient diet group (D)). Each group was fed its respective diet ad libitum. The PCOOH level in the liver was increased at 4 weeks in group D, compared with group C, and showed an increase of about 500%. This is the period when there is no mobilization of iron from ferritin at 4 weeks, compared to the early stage of iron deficiency at 1 week. The activity of hepatic XOD increased between 2 and 3 weeks and remained at an elevated level from 3 weeks until 4 weeks in group D. The activity of hepatic Cu, Zn-SOD at 1 and 4 weeks was lower in group D than in group C. The activity of hepatic PHGPX was lower in group D than in group C at 4 weeks. The copper concentration in the cytosol increased linearly from 1 to 4 weeks in group D, while the cytosolic iron concentration decreased. There was an increase in the hepatic PCOOH level from 1 to 4 weeks in the iron-deficient rats. These results suggest that the increase in the hepatic PCOOH level is caused by a simultaneous increase in the copper concentration and the cytosolic XOD activity when there is no mobilization of iron from ferritin.
