Lipid and fatty acid composition of organs from copper-deficient mice

Experiments were conducted to study the total lipid and fatty acid composition of liver, kidney, brain and heart of 7-wk-old male C57BL mice. Dietary copper deficiency was initiated at birth by feeding dams a purified diet containing 0.5 mg/kg copper. Offspring were fed the copper-deficient diet 4 wk postweaning. Control dams and offspring were fed the same diet but with added copper in the drinking water, 20 mg/L. Compared with controls the copper-deficient mice exhibited hepatomegaly, cardiac hypertrophy and a 4% reduction in brain weight as well as low ceruloplasmin activity (0.5% of control). Total phospholipid concentration in liver and kidney and total triacylglycerol concentration in kidney was lower in copper-deficient mice compared to concentrations measured in liver and kidney of control mice. The major change in essential fatty acid composition in the copper-deficient mice which was consistent between organs and lipid classes was a significantly lower proportion and absolute amount of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid. Other changes in fatty acid composition were variable.