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Zinc level in selected tissues of ethanol and morphine intoxicated mice
1Department of Physiological Chemistry, Medical University, ul. Lubartowska 85, 20-123 Lublin, Poland.
Introduction:
In this work we determined zinc level in the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and thigh muscle of the ethanol- and morphine-intoxicated mice.
Material And Methods:
The experiment was conducted on mice, which were divided into four groups of ten mice each. They were given ethanol intragastrically, morphine--intraperitoneally, and a combination of ethanol and morphine. The concentration of zinc was determined spectrophotometrically, using spectrophotometer Pye Unicam SP-192.
Results:
The narcotic drugs affected zinc level and zinc distribution in the tested tissues. All the narcotic agents caused an increase in zinc concentration in blood serum and a decrease of this microelement in the brain. Ethanol intoxication caused a decrease of zinc level in all the tissues except the heart. Morphine- as well as morphine-and-ethanol intoxication, however, caused an increase or decrease of this microelement.