Radioisotope studies for quantitative measurement of manganese absorption

Purpose of the present study was to quantitatively determine the manganese absorption in growing rats by means of radioisotopes. First of all the following factors had to be investigated, which are significant for this determination: Measurability of stable and radioactive Mn in rat tissues; labelling of stable Mn and distribution of stable and radioactive Mn in the organism; verification of the isotope dilution method and of the comparative balance method with regard to its applicability for the determination of the true Mn absorption. We useed male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. The most important results are summarized in the following: in some separate tissues measurement of stable Mn was accompanied by difficulties. The measurement of radioactive Mn however, could be performed without any problems. 10 d after i.m. injection of 54Mn only 17% of the administered Mn was still detectable in the organism. However, there was no uniform tissue labelling found. Therefore it is possible to an only restricted extent to draw quantitative conclusions on the content of stable Mn. A high percentage of stable and radioactive Mn was found above all in the liver. The isotope dilution method permits by feces analysis to differentiate between unabsorbed Mn coming from the food and endogenic Mn coming from the organism itself. The effective Mn absorption was also determined by means of the comparative balance method. By means of the isotope dilution method we determined the quantitative Mn-absorption with staged Mn administration and the contribution of absorption and excretion to the homeostatic regulation mechanisms of Mn. We found that absorption and excretion help the organism to keep an almost constant Mn concentration even with a differing Mn supply. (orig./MG)