ZINC METABOLISM IN HEPATIC DYSFUNCTION*†

doi:10.1059/0003-4819-50-5-1077

ZINC METABOLISM IN HEPATIC DYSFUNCTION*†

BERT L. VALLEE, M.D.;
WARREN E. C. WACKER, M.D.;
ANTHONY F. BARTHOLOMAY, SC.D.; and
FREDERIC L. HOCH, M.D.
Boston, Massachusetts

Requests for reprints should be addressed to Bert L. Vallee, M.D., Biophysics Research Laboratory of the Department of Medicine, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital,
721 Huntington Avenue, Boston 15, Massachusetts.

Excerpt

Zinc is present in all living organisms and is essential as a nutrient for plants and animals.^{13, 27} The normal human dietary intake of zinc is about 10 to 15 mg. a day. The stool is the major excretory route; it contains about 10 mg. a day, whereas the urine contains only about 0.4 to 0.5 mg. a day.¹⁷ The amount of zinc in different human organs varies between 10 and 200 μg. per gram of wet tissue.³⁰ The human liver contains 50 to 60 μg. of zinc per gram.³⁴ The identification of zinc as a component of carbonic anhydrase

Summario in Interlingua

Marcate anormalitates del metabolismo de zinc es demonstrate in patientes suffrente de cirrhosis postalcoholic. Le concentrationes de zinc in le sero e in le histos hepatic de tal personas es marcatemente reducite. Simultaneemente, iste patientes excerne anormalmente grande quantitates de zinc in lor urina. Tamen, in un caso—illo de un patiente terminal—un excretion anormalmente basse de zinc in quantitates physiologic tende a restaurar un normal situation excretori. Le retention de bromsulfaleina in cinque patientes con cirrhosis postalcoholic tendeva verso valores normal in le curso de iste investigationes del metabolismo de zinc. Nulle essayos de trovar un therapia specific del morbo esseva interprendite. Le datos es interpretate in le lumine del biochimia comparative del metabolismo de zinc e de ethanol. Es conjecturate que un conditionate carentia de zinc es compatibile con le presente datos e etiam con le currente cognoscentias historic, pathophysiologic, e pathobiochimic relative a iste morbo.

Article and Author Information

↵* Received for publication January 16, 1959.
From the Biophysics Research Laboratory and the Medical Clinic, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
↵† Supported by the Lasdon Fund, the Hartford Fund, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.