ESSENTIALITY OF THE ULTRA TRACE ELEMENT TO THE NUTRITION OF ANIMALS AND MAN

MÜLLER.R.1: ANKE, M.2, BETZ, L 1

1) Societyfor ecology and environmental chemistry mbh, Zittauer Straße 27, D99091 Erfurt, Germany 2) Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, institute of feeding sciences, Dornburger Str. 24, D07743 Jena, Germany

ABSTRACT

A Lithium content below 1.7 mg/kg diet dry matter (DM) had a particular effect on the growth, reproduction performance, wellness and mortality of goats. The signifícant shift of the sex ratio of kinds toward females, reduced monoaminooxidase activity in the liver, and increased creatine kinase activity (a stress indicator) are also interesting results. The normatíve lithium requirement of animals (goats, pigs) amounts to <2.5 mg/kg diet DM, while that of adult humans might amount to <200 g/day [l, 2, 3, 4, 5].

INTRODUCTION

During the long passage of inorganic components of foodstuffs, water and air through the fauna (and man), which has lasted for several hundreds millions of years, the majority of these substances have most likely become parts of activators of proteins, enzymes, hormones or other essential components of the body. Consequently, both a defíciency and a toxic excess in supply must be considered for most elements [6].

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The normative requirement for ultratrace elements, being partly extremely low, is reliably met. Apart from genetic defects which prevent the utilization of these substances [7], deficiency symptoms do not occur. Hints as to the biological essentiality of these elements were only obtained in experiments with semi-synthetic feeds extremely poor in the element under test and after intrauterine depletion of this element. These conditions ca to performance drops, deficiency diseases and reduced life expectancy. These symptoms were not registered in real life, since the natural offer meets the requirements or, in part, exceed them considerably [8-12].

With the help of semi synthetic feeds poor in lithium, rubidium, , aluminium, , arsenic, or , the essentiality of these ultratrace elements was examined, their offer determined in dependence of the geological origin of the soil, and the intake of these ultratrace elements by adult humans with mixed and ovolacto-vegetarian diets was ascertained.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The "essentiality" of the ultratrace elements lithium, rubidium, cadmium, aluminium, vanadium, arsenic, fluorine and bromine was examined in goats. Besides the use of synthetic feeds and intrauterine depletion over generations, the animal species selected for the study is important. The use of ruminant species (goats) has allowed researchers to substitute chemically pure urea for a significant proportion of trace element-containing proteins. Furthermore, an intrauterine depletion over three and more generations of an animal species has been shown to be highly effective in discovering the essentiality of several elements [13].

An essential element is one that is required to support adequate growth, reproduction and health throughout the life cycle if all other nutrients are optimal. Besides the deficiency group, every deficiency experiment needs a control group with identical

135 conditions, feed, and the element tested. In addition, the animals of both groups should liver to their natural death.

The synthetic feed, when tested for the essentiality of one element, must be supplemented with all elements contained in the normal feed of the animals. The synthetic feed of the ruminants (goats), in addition to cellulose in the form of purified paper (which was used as litter and nutrient), contained all essential nutrients and all mineral elements present in the normal feed, with the exception of Ra, Fr, Ac, Po, At, Re and the rare earth metals Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dys, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Cp which were delivered as impurities of the lanthanides [4] (Table 1). With the help of synthetic feeds it was possible to obtain extensive data concerning the essentiality of several metals (Cr, W, Cd, Pb, V, Li, Rb, Al, Ti) and also non-metals (F, Br, Si, As, B) [13].

The influence of the geological origin of the soil on the ultratrace element contents of the vegetation was determined for wheat (Triticum sativum), rye (Secale cereale) and red clover (Trifolium pratense sativum) of the field and meadow varieties (Trifolium pratense pontaneum). The green plants were harvested when the rye was in blossom, the wheat shooting, the field red clover in bud, and the meadow red clover in blossom [14].

The ultratrace element intake was determined by the duplicate portions technique over seven consecutive days in a test comprising seven women and seven men aged between 20 and 69 years in 15 test populations in Germany and two in Mexico. The ovolacto-vegetarians were all Germans. The analysis of the five metals and three non-metals was made by atomic absorption spectroscopy (ASS) (Li, RB) [15, 16], frameless ASS (Cd), graphite furnace ASS and a nitrate matrix modifier (Al), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) (v), ASS hydride technique (As) and neutron activation analysis {F and Br). IAEH H-9 reference material (mixed human diet) was used for checking the method.

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Essentiality of lithium for animals

Whether lithium is essential for the fauna has been investigated systematically since 1976 in goats [17, 18, 19], sheep [20] and rats [21] in Germany, Hungary, the USA and Japan. The influence of a lithium-poor feed on the pre- and postnatal growth of goats was tested with 14 repetitions over 15 years (Table 2). It was shown that the feed intake by the growing young goats was significantly (11 %) lower in comparison to the control goats. The adult lithium-deficient goats compensated this low feed intake in the second year of life. The kids of lithium-deficient goats had a 9 % lower birth weight than those of control goats.

Moreover, lithium-poor nutrition caused reproductive disorders in goats and rats. Lithium-poor feeds of female goats did not have an effect on the intensity of estrus behaviour. The first mating, however, produced a significantly worse rate of conception in these animals. Repeated services at the following ovulations improved the conception rate of lithium-deficient goats. The difference between the groups remained significant. The increased abortion rate of lithium-deficient goats is also important. Miscarriages occurred at a rate of 14 % between the third and fifth months of gravidity. The effect of lithium deficiency on the sex ratio was most surprising. As a rule, hornless goats give birth to more male than female kids. Lithium-deficient goats, however, gave birth to significantly more female kids.

The 5-year average showed that lithium-deficient goats produced 20 % less milk than the control animals.

Long-term lithium deficiency experiments with female goats allowed an analysis of the influence of lithium-poor nutrition on the life expectancy of the animals. The investigations showed that 41 % of the lithium-deficient goats and 7 % of the control animals died during the first year of the experiments. Skin lesions occurred in individual animals with lithium-poor feeds (Figure 3). In the meantime, it was

137 shown that lithium was also effective in the treatment of herpes virus infections and of seborrhoea dermatitis in humans [22].

Lithium deficiency did not affect the biochemical blood profile, bat it changed the activity of several serum enzymes. As a rule, lithium deficiency reduced the serum enzyme activity, mainly the enzymes of the citrate cycle (ICDH, isocitric acid dehydrogenase; MDH, malate dehydrogenase), of glycolysis (ALD), and of nitrogen (GLDH, glutamine dehydrogenase), for which significant differences between control and lithium-deficient goats were observed. Only creatine kinase activity, a stress indicator enzyme, was significantly increased in lithium-deficient goats.

Owing to the particular role of monamine oxidase (MAO) in manic-depressive diseases, chronic schizophrenia, and unipolar depression, this enzyme was also investigated in the liver of control and lithium-deficient goats. MAO activity in the hepatic tissue of the latter group was reduced to 28%.

Abnormal behaviour was observed in lithium-deficient rats, and this disappeared after lithium supplementation. This assessment is interesting in so far as the MAO hypothesis is discussed as a biochemical mechanism of a lithium therapy in humans.

In brief, the results of lifelong lithium-poor nutrition over >15 generations of goats show that lithium may be essential to the fauna, and thus, to humans as well [23].

Influence of the geological origin of the soil on the lithium content of the vegetation

The Earths crust contains 50-65 mg Li/kg [25]. The geological origin of the soil is reflected in its lithium content (Table 3). The plants of the sandstone weathering soils of the Cretaceous formation, slate, Keuper, gneiss, Muschelkalk and Hunter are richer in lithium than those of diluvia and alluvial formations (Table 4).

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Lithium intake by humans

The lithium intake by adult humans with mixed diets was systematically investigated in 10 test populations (each from different regions of Germany) of seven women and seven men each, aged between 20 and 69 years (Table 5).

Men and women consumed the same amount of lithium-rich and lithium-poor food and beverages. The lithium intake by both sexes doubled after the reunification of Germany and with worldwide trade. Since men consume 24 % more dry matter than women, they take in more lithium than women. Adults of both sexes with mixed diets consumed significantly more lithium with increasing age. On average, elderly test persons consumed 30-46 % more lithium. They clearly preferred lithium-rich foodstuffs. In Germany, the individual lithium intake per day on the average of a week varies between 128 g/day in men. Worldwide, lithium intakes between 4 and 2392 jag/day on the average of populations are reported [27, 28, 29]. In Germany, 70 woman and 70 men consumed, on the average of 7 days >100 g Li/day.

Lithium contents of the foodstuffs

All sugar- and starch-rich cereals, pasta, bread, cakes and pastries generally contain little lithium (0.2 to 1.0 mg/kg food DM). Fruits and vegetables supply 1.0 to 7.0 mg Li/kg food Dm. Tomatoes are especially rich in Li (7.0 mg Li/kg DM). By contrast, animal foodstuffs are generally lithium-rich. On average, only butter, fish, cheese and broiler meat contain > 3.0 mg Li/kg DM (Table 6). Poultry, beef, pork and mutton contain lithium concentrations increasing in that order. Most lithium is delivered to humans by eggs and milk (> 7000 g/kg DM). In Germany, the lithium content of drinking water varies between 4 and 60 g/L (average: 10 g/L.) Amounts of 2 to 5240 g/L were found in mineral water [30]. Like

139 tea and coffee, beer, wine and juices can also contribute to the lithium supply.

DISCUSSION

Dawson et al [31] reported that in Texas there was a significant inverse relationship between the lithium content of tap water and urinary excretion of lithium on the one hand, and secondary state mental hospital admission admitting the diagnosis of psychosis, neurosis, schizophrenia and personality problems and homicide on the other. Schrauzer and Shresta [32] demonstrated that incidence rates of suicide, homicide and rape were significantly higher in countries whose drinking water supplies contain little lithium than in countries with lithium levels of water ranging from 70 to 170 (g/L, the differences being statistically significant (p< 0.01). The results suggest that lithium supplementation in nutritional levels to humans with low lithium intake can have a beneficial effect on human behaviour. In Germany, all 70 women and 70 men tested consumed > 100 g Li/day on the average of a week. We have postulated a normative requirement of humans of < 100 g/day, if lithium is essential.

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