To clarify whether manganese nutritional status is better reflected by the manganese concentration in lymphocytes or in whole blood, we injected manganese solutions intravenously into manganese-deficient rats and determined manganese concentrations in lymphocytes, whole blood, and various tissues. The manganese concentrations in lymphocytes and tissues, but not in whole blood, were significantly less in manganese-deficient rats than in normal rats. These low values could be prevented by intravenous injection of manganese in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that, for assessment of manganese nutritional status, measurement of manganese in lymphocytes is better than that in whole blood.