Rise in Serum Copper Following Oral Administration of Copper Sulfate

Abstract

In a recent publication1 we suggested that copper may be transported in the serum. The data presented in this paper support this conception. Using dogs as experimental subjects, we have been able to demonstrate a substantial increase of copper in the serum following oral administration of aqueous solutions of copper sulfate.The dogs were kept in individual cages and were maintained at a constant weight on a Purina chow diet. They were fasted for 18 hours, following which the basal copper level in the serum was determined from hour to hour for 7 hours. The results indicate that fasting serum copper values remain practically constant. Several days later, at the end of another 18-hour fast, a sample of serum was collected. Then the copper sulfate (CuSO4. 5H2O), dissolved in approximately 400 cc of distilled water, was administered immediately by stomach tube. Serum samples were collected one half hour later and at hourly intervals thereafter for 5 hours. The serum copper concentrations were determined by the...