Excretion Of Mn In The Body

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Distribution of Mn in the body is dependent on the mitochondrial content of tissues, with the greatest deposition in mitochondrial-rich tissues such as bone, liver, kidneys, pituitary gland, and pancreas (J. Freeland-Graves., 2005). The liver plays a major role in the excretion of surplus Mn, and helps in maintenance of Mn homeostasis (C. Davis 1992). Excess Mn is secreted into the bile by the liver, and subsequently excreted through the feces (EFSA, 2013). Thus, hepatic dysfunction may result in Mn imbalance, thereby causing deficiency or toxicity of this mineral (J. Crossgrove and W. Zheng 2004). Alternatively, Mn can be excreted through pancreatic juices and be reabsorbed into the lumen of duodenum and jejunum (R. Allinson 1978). Excretion of Mn via urine is of less significance, and appears to be independent of diet intake (J.H. Freeland-Graves 1988). 2.4 Approaches to assess Mn requirements Approaches to assess Mn requirements include metabolic balance, blood levels of Mn, and other biomarkers. Biomarkers that have been used to reflect Mn status other than blood are feces, urine, hair (EFSA 2013), and activities of Mn-dependent enzymes such as MnSOD and arginase. When sufficient data are lacking, a crude method to estimate status and/ or requirements in a healthy population is extrapolation to usual dietary intakes (Freeland-Graves, 1996). 2.4.1 Metabolic balance Metabolic balance has been used in past investigations to set preliminary dietary recommendations for numerous minerals. This method has been replaced largely with newer isotope distribution studies utilizing stable isotopes. Ideally, Mn could be assessed via isotopes to measure requirements, yet this approach is precluded due to to the existence of only one stabl... ... middle of paper ... ... in the response of whole blood Mn eliminates its use as a reliable indicator of status. The variation in values of plasma Mn, in which measurements were repeated on the same subjects several times, is illustrated in Figure 2.3. As expected, the variance was greater inter subjects, and did not vary significantly within subjects. In a study of 47 young women supplemented with 15 mg Mn/day for 125 days, serum Mn concentrations increased to 0.3 μg/l, and were significantly higher than those who did not receive Mn (C.D. Davis 1992). Yet Greger et al. (1990) reported that serum Mn in young men was not associated with dietary levels, either at baseline (0.2 μg/l ) or after 7 days of supplementation with 15 mg Mn (0.1 μg/l) (J.L. Greger 1990). Thus, blood levels of Mn appear to be too variable or unresponsive to change in Mn status to be utilized as definitive markers.

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