Interrelationships of Copper, Molybdenum and Sulfate Sulfur in Bovine Nutrition
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University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Summer 1961 INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF COPPER, MOLYBDENUM AND SULFATE SULFUR IN BOVINE NUTRITION JOHN EDWARD VANDERVEEN University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation VANDERVEEN, JOHN EDWARD, "INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF COPPER, MOLYBDENUM AND SULFATE SULFUR IN BOVINE NUTRITION" (1961). Doctoral Dissertations. 2352. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2352 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This dissertation has been 61—3774 microfilmed exactly as received VANDERVEEN, John Edward, 1934- INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF COPPER, MOLYBDENUM AND SULFATE SULFUR IN BOVINE NUTRITION. University of New Hampshire, Ph.D., 1961 Chemistry, biological University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan INTERRELATIONSHIPS OP COPPER, MOLYBDENUM AND SULFATE SULFUR IN BOVINE NUTRITION BY JOHN EDWARD VANDERVEEN B. S., Rutgars University, 1956 A THESIS Submitted to tha University of New Hampshire In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate School Department of Chemistry June, 1961 This thasis has bean examined and approved. C L < € < ______ ________ s ____________ y V t c / ^ r & lA. ~?. (L*r&ns-0*i. s a /?&/ U Data ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to the many people whose labors made the completion of this thesis possible. He wishes to especially thank the following people who on many occasions graciously gave of their time. Dootor Harry A. Keener for his Inspiration, guidance, and constant support. Doctor Fred E. Allen for his time in taking the liver biopsies. Dootor Alexander R. Amell for his Instruction and suggestions In the use of radioisotopes. Professor Owen B. Durgln for the statistical analysis of data. Professors Kenneth S. Morrow and Nicholas F. Colovos for their counsel and encouragement. Mrs. Beatrice L. Geoffrlon for typing the several drafts of this thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS Pag® LIST OF TABLES .................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ................................ vi I. INTRODUCTION..................................... 1 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE............................ 5 1. The Absorption and Metabolism of Sulphur . 5 2. The Absorption and Metabolism of Copper . 12 3. The Absorption and Metabolism of Molybdenum 22 if. The Interrelationship of Copper, Molybdenum, and Sulfate Sulfur .......................... 27 III. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE.......................... 35 1. Experiment I ............................ 35 2. Experiment I I .......................... 38 3. Experiment III .......................... 39 4. Collection of Data on Experiments I, II, III, and IV........................................ i|_3 5. Experiment I V ........... '.................. if8 IV. RESULTS .................... 52 1. Experiment I ........ 52 2. Experiment II . ............... 65 3. Experiment III ........... 9if if. Experiment IV ......... 115 V. DISCUSSION........................ 122 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................ 135 BIBLIOGRAPHY'.............. lifl APPENDIX ......................................... I5if iii List of Tables Table Page 1 Design of Experiment I ...............................36 2 Design of Experiment II... ....................... i|0 3 Design of Experiment I I I .......................... 1}2 I4 Design of Experiment IV .... ...................If9 5 Weight Changes - Experiment I. ...... ....53 6 Body Condition Ratings ~ Experiment I .............. 51} 7 Breeding Records - Experiment I ......... .....56 8 Average Composition of Blood - Experiment I .... 57 9 Peed Consumed Daily - Experiment I ..................58 10 Milk and Butterfat Production - Experiment I ». 59, 60 11 Weight Changes - Experiment II........ .6 8 , 69 12 Body Condition Ratings - Experiment I I ..............71 13 Hair Condition - Experiment I I ..................72, 73 IJ4 Breeding Records - Experiment I I .................... 75 l£ Average Hemoglobin Values - Experiment II . 77, 70 16 Hematocrit Values - Experiment II ...... 79, 60 17 Serum Protein Values - Experiment I I ......... 8 l, 82 18 Peed Consumed Daily - Experiment II ........ 83 19 Milk and Butterfat Production - Experiment II . 81}, 85 20 Composition of Serum, Liver, and Spleen of Calves Born to Cows Continued Through A Second Lactation 87 21 Weight Changes - Experiment III ...........95 22 Body Condition Ratings - Experiment III ...... 96 iv List of Tables (Cont.) Table Page 23 Hair Condition - Experiment I I I ............. 98 2 I4 Breeding Records - Experiment I I I .................. 101 25 Average Hemoglobin Values - Experiment III .... 102 26 Average Hematocrit Values - Experiment III .... 103 27 Serum Protein - Experiment I I I ............... 105> 28 Total Milk and Butterfat Production - Experiment III 106 29 Copper-61^ Levels in Liver - Experiment I V ..........120 v List of Figures Figure Page 1 Milk Molybdenum Levels - Experiment I ...... .62 2 Serum Copper Levels - Experiment I .......... ...63 3 Serum Molybdenum Levels - Experiment I ............ 6i| 1} Liver Copper Levels - Experiment I ................ 66 f? Liver Molybdenum Levels - Experiment I ............ 67 6 Milk Molybdenum Levels - Experiment II .......... 89 7 Serum Copper Levels - Experiment I I ............... 89 8 Serum Molybdenum Levels - Experiment II...... 91 9 Liver Copper Levels - Experiment II ...... • 92 10 Liver Molybdenum Levels - Experiment II ...... 93 11 Milk Molybdenum Levels - Experiment I I I .......... 109 12 Serum Copper Levels - Experiment I I I ......... 110 13 Serum Molybdenum Levels - Experiment III .... 112 li| Liver Copper Levels - Experiment III ...... 113 If? Liver Molybdenum Levels - Experiment III .... llij 16 Levels of Copper-6^ in Blood - Trials I & II . 116 17 Levels of Copper-61} in Blood - Trials III 8s IV . 117 18 Levels of Copper-61} In Blood - Trials V & VI . 118 vi INTRODUCTION For over one hundred years it has been known that certain pastures in restricted areas of England caused a disease in cattle known locally as "teart". This disease was characterized by severe diarrhea, loss of body condition, and discoloration of the hair. In 1938 Ferguson, et al., attributed the cause of "teart” to a high molybdenum content of these pastures. Proof for this theory was provided when these Investigators were able to produce identical symptoms of the disease by either drenching experimental animals with a molybdenum salt or by Increasing the content of molybdenum in forage by adding molybdenum to the soil as a top-dressing. Attempts to reduce the high molybdenum content of the forage were under way when Brouwer, et al., reported that a similar condition In Holland responded to large doses of in organic copper. Although the "teart” pastures were shown to hav® xtfhat was considered an adequate level of copper, it x^as found that copper sulfate fed at the rate of 2 grams per day for cows and 1 gram per day for calves, or much smaller doses injected intravenously, would correct the toxic condition caused by the high molybdenum intake. Later it was found that the condition in Holland was not caused by high molyb denum levels but by inadequate copper intake by the animals. In Australia about this same time investigators studying an enzootic disease of cattle, haemsturia vesicalis, 2 observed that pastures on which these animals grazed, and the tissues of the animals, were abnormally high in molybdenum. Further analysis of the tissues of these animals revealed them to be lower than normal in copper. From this work in Australia and later work in New Zealand with a condition known as “peat scours" it was found that molybdenum has a profound effect on the metabolism of copper in the ruminant. This finding was further substantiated by the successful use of molybdenum salts in treatment of chronic copper poisoning. In effect these workers suggested that molybdenum toxicity is complicated copper deficiency. Since the time that it was first shown that high molybdenum content of pastures was the cause of "teart" in England, molybdenum toxicity has been reported in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Sweden and Japan. It was soon realized, however, that the conditions causing the toxicity in various locations differed greatly. The molybde num content of the forage in the "teart" pastures of England was much higher than that of forage which caused the toxicity reported in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the feed ing of molybdenum salts was not successful in developing the symptoms of molybdenum toxicity unless it was carried out at a rate far in excess of the rates observed in forages in toxic areas. These inconsistencies indicated that molybdenum toxi city was complicated by other unidentified conditions. Dick, in Australia, showed that molybdenum could reduce the copper level in the tissues of sheep only when a high level of sul— 3 fate also was present in the diet. Davis, in Florida, has shown that low phosphorus levels also will influence molyb denum toxicity. Even these findings did not explain the occurrence of molybdenum toxicity in some areas of the United States, England,