EFFECTS OF A COPPER-BINDING PEPTIDE FROM THE MUSHROOM GRIFOLA-FRONDOSA ON INTESTINAL COPPER ABSORPTION

The effect of a copper-binding peptide, purified previously from the f ruit bodies of the mushroom, Grifola frondosa, on copper absorption wa s investigated by using portal cannulated rats under unanesthetized an d unrestrained conditions. When the copper-binding peptide was infused into the duodenum together with copper, the amount of copper in porta l blood was significantly increased compared with the absence of this peptide. Furthermore, the remarkable accumulation of copper in the liv er was also observed. These results suggest that the copper-binding pe ptide enhances copper intestinal absorption and accumulation in the li ver.