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Elevated body zinc in rats with inherited retinal dystrophy
The Journal of Heredity
|March 1, 1981
Summary
Mutant rats with retinal dystrophy showed higher carcass zinc concentrations compared to controls. Further research is needed to determine if this zinc alteration relates to retinal degeneration in Royal College of Surgeon (RCS) rats.
Area of Science:
- Animal models of genetic disease
- Trace element metabolism
- Ocular pathology
Background:
- Royal College of Surgeon (RCS) rats are a model for studying retinal dystrophy.
- Zinc is an essential trace element with roles in various biological processes, including vision.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate carcass zinc concentrations in RCS rats with the gene for retinal dystrophy.
- To compare zinc levels between mutant (rdy/rdy) and control (rdy/+) RCS rats.
Main Methods:
- Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for zinc and copper analysis.
- Newborn male pups of both mutant and control RCS rat strains were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Mutant RCS (rdy/rdy) rats exhibited significantly higher carcass zinc concentrations than cogenic control RCS (rdy/+) rats.
- No significant difference in carcass copper concentrations was observed between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Altered zinc metabolism may be associated with the genetic mutation causing retinal dystrophy in RCS rats.
- The precise relationship between elevated carcass zinc and the development of retinal degeneration requires further investigation.