Effects of Copper, Zinc and Cadmium on the Recovery Pattern of Aryl Sulfotransferase IV Activity in Rats fed 2-Acetylaminofluorene Diet

Purified rat liver aryl sulfotransferase IV (AST IV) was found to be inhibited in vitro by zinc, copper, cadmium and terbium. Among these four elements, zinc, copper and cadmium were all strongly inhibitory to the AST IV activity at very low concentrations (2.5 $\mu$M to 0.025 $\mu$M). In rat liver cytosol, zinc, copper and cadmium at 25 $\mu$M to 0.025 $\mu$M also decreased the AST IV activity to $50\%$ of the controls. In order to assess the possible effects of these metals on the AST IV activity recovery pattern in vivo, studies on the relationship between these minerals and dietary 2-acetylaminofluorene were conducted. Total of forty rats were fed one of five diets for 6 weeks: diet 1, Control diet plus 2-acetlyaminofluorene ($0.05\%$); diet 2, zinc-deficient diet plus 2-acetlyaminofluorene; diet 3, zinc-supplement diet plus 2-acetylaminofluorene; diet 4, copper-supplement diet plus 2-acetylaminofluorene; diet 5, cadmium-supplement diet plus 2-acetylaminofluorene. Half of the rats from each diet were changed to individual diet after 3 weeks of 2-acetylaminofluorene feeding. Placement of rats on the control diet following one cycle of 2-acetylaminofluorene feeding of 3 weeks without 2-acetylaminofluorene resulted in nearly full recovery of AST IV activity within 3 or 4 weeks. However, the rats fed diets that supplemented with zinc, copper or cadmium without 2-acetylaminofluorene showed a new pattern of lowered AST IV activity as early as the first cycle. Also, lowering in cytosolic AST IV contents was appeared in the livers from the rats, following one cycle of 2-acetylaminofluorene feeding of 3 weeks, fed one of the diets that supplemented with copper, cadmium or zinc without 2-acetylaminofluorene for ensuing 3 weeks.