STUDIES ON COPPER METABOLISM. VI. BLOOD COPPER IN NORMAL HUMAN SUBJECTS 1

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Abstract
By the use of a recently developed method values were found for whole blood Cu of 96 [plus or minus] 13 and 100 [plus or minus] 11 [mu]g./100 ml. and for plasma Cu of 105 [plus or minus] 16 and 116 [plus or minus] 16 [mu]g./100 ml. plasma in the male and female, respectively. These values are in excellent agreement with those given by other investigators. Published observations that plasma Cu is significantly higher in females than in males, were confirmed. The Cu content of red blood cells was detd. directly and values of 110 [plus or minus] 16 [mu]g. in males and 122 [plus or minus] 29 [mu]g. per 100 ml. of red blood cells in females were found. Direct measurement of red cell Cu is more accurate than the calculation from whole blood and plasma Cu values. The amt. of Cu in the red cells, when expressed on a wt.-vol. basis, was essentially equal to that in the plasma. The calculated amt. of Cu in the avg. red corpuscle (mean corpuscular Cu) is approx. 100 [mu][mu][mu]g. A small diurnal variation in plasma Cu was observed. Compared with that which takes place in plasma Fe levels in man, however, the variation is small. A slight durnal variation in RBC Cu was demonstrated. Variations from day to day, for week to week, with meals and with menstruation were found to be of insignificant degree.