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Adverse developmental and reproductive effects of copper deficiency in Xenopus laevis

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Abstract

The effect of copper (Cu) deficiency on the reproduction and development in Xenopus laevis was evaluated, culminating in the development of a defined concentration-response relationship. Separate groups of four adult frog pairs were fed one of three diets for 28 d: (1) low-copper (−Cu); (2) copper supplemented (+Cu); and (3) ASTM standard beef liver and lung (BLL). Embryos collected from frogs administered the −Cu diet had markedly decreased egg masses and viability rates and an increased rate of necrosis when compared to the other dietary treatments. Malformations in −Cu larvae included maldevelopment of the heart, eye, craniofacial region, brain, and notochord. Larvae from adults administered the −Cu diet showed delayed abnormal hindlimb development, characterized as selective reductive deficiencies distal to the femur, with poor cartilaginous development. A U-shaped dose-response curve characteristic of nutritional essentiality was developed for Cu. Overall, these studies indicated that embryos produced from frogs administered a −Cu diet are substantially less viable than embryos from frogs administered a +Cu or copper-adequate (BLL) diet.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Stover Group, P.O. Box 2056, 74076, Stillwater, OK

    Douglas J. Fort & Enos L. Stover

  2. International Copper Association, Ltd., 260 Madison Avenue, 10016, New York, NY

    Christopher M. Lee

  3. Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation, 8315 West 3595 South, 84044-6001, Magna, UT

    William J. Adams

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  1. Douglas J. Fort
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  2. Enos L. Stover
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  3. Christopher M. Lee
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  4. William J. Adams
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Fort, D.J., Stover, E.L., Lee, C.M. et al. Adverse developmental and reproductive effects of copper deficiency in Xenopus laevis . Biol Trace Elem Res 77, 159–172 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:77:2:159

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:77:2:159

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