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. 1979 Dec 15;184(3):627–633. doi: 10.1042/bj1840627

Identification of albumin as the plasma carrier for zinc absorption by perfused rat intestine.

K T Smith, M L Failla, R J Cousins
PMCID: PMC1161847  PMID: 540055

Abstract

The isolated vascularly perfused rat intestine exhibits an obligatory need for a protein carrier in order to absorb zinc. Therefore this system is ideal for use as a model to identify the plasma carrier during zinc absorption. Affinity chromatography on Blue Sepharose CL-6B was employed to separate the major serum zinc-binding proteins in the portal effluent of the perfused intestine. It was found that 94% of newly absorbed 65Zn was transported in the portal serum-containing perfusate as an albumin-65Zn complex. The identity of albumin as the plasma carrier was confirmed by polyacrylamide-slab-gel electrophoresis. This evidence suggests that albumin is the plasma protein that is involved in removal of zinc from intestinal-mucosal cells and subsequent transport of the metal in portal blood to the liver.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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