Adrenocorticosteroid hormones and manganese metabolism

¹ Medical Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York

An effect of two glucocorticosteroids on the transport of the essential trace element, manganese, is described. Mice receiving high doses of prednisolone or cortisol accumulated more radiomanganese in their carcasses and retained less in their livers than did untreated controls. In some respects this effect was similar to that seen when manganese salts were administered as significant metabolic loads. It was brought on regardless of whether the injected isotope was in the divalent ionic form or in the plasma-bound form. Treatment with mineralocorticosteroids alone did not affect manganese metabolism as tested here. Furthermore, Zn⁶⁵ did not respond to the glucocorticoid effects exhibited by Mn⁵⁴.