Effects of dietary supplements of copper, sulfate and molybdate upon liver and kidney concentrations of ten minerals in young chickens

Day-old chicks received continuous feeding of a commercial type diet or the basic diet supplemented with 500 ppM Cu as chloride or sulfate salt, 765 ppM sulfate as sulfuric acid (same level sulfate as from feeding copper sulfate) or both copper sulfate and sulfuric acid. The above treatments were repeated in chicks receiving 2000 ppM Mo as molybdic acid. After 4 weeks on diet, livers and kidneys were assayed using x-ray fluorescence. When Mo diets were fed, both Cu and sulfate increased the amount of Mo found in kidney and liver. There was a large increase in liver Cu when copper chloride was fed to give the same dietary Cu level as from copper sulfate, indicating that sulfate was effective in preventing Cu toxicity. It appeared that excess dietary Mo impaired the ability of the liver to maintain a low level of dietary Cu, since liver Cu levels were normal when Cu sulfate was fed but were very high when both Cu sulfate and Mo were fed. Dietary Mo reduced liver and kidney Ca content except when Cu sulfate was fed. The combination of dietary Mo and Cu sulfate appeared to increase liver and kidney potassium content. The other assayedmore » minerals (Mn, Fe, Zn, Sr, Zr and Cd) did not seem to be much affected by the dietary treatments used. 23 references, 4 tables.« less