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Positron Emission Tomography Using 64-Copper as a Tracer for the Study of Copper-Related Disorders
Published on: April 28, 2023
A CHEMICAL AND PATHOLOGIC STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF COPPER ON THE LIVER
1Departments of Industrial Hygiene and Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Copper compounds do not cause liver pigment deposition or cirrhosis in common lab animals. Instead, a carrot-exclusive diet induces identical pigment changes, suggesting an exogenous origin for liver pigments in rabbits.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Hepatology
- Animal Nutrition
Background:
- Previous research suggested copper compounds induce liver pigment deposition.
- Spontaneous pigment deposition is observed in normal rabbit livers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of copper in liver pigment deposition.
- To determine the origin of liver pigments in rabbits.
Main Methods:
- Feeding rabbits, guinea pigs, and rats copper compounds.
- Feeding rabbits an exclusive carrot diet.
- Histological examination of liver tissues.
Main Results:
- Copper administration did not cause pigment deposition or cirrhosis in rabbits, guinea pigs, or rats.
- Carrot-exclusive diet induced liver pigment deposition in rabbits, indistinguishable from copper-induced changes.
- Spontaneous pigment deposition was common in control rabbit livers.
Conclusions:
- Copper or its compounds are not responsible for the observed liver pigment deposition.
- Carrot-based diets can induce liver pigment deposition mimicking copper toxicity.
- The pigment found in rabbit livers is likely of exogenous origin.
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