Effects of purified drinking water on the body mass, dietary and drinking amounts, organic indexes and the cardiac contents of magnesium, zinc and copper in rats Article

Zhao, Q, Gao, JS, Shu, WQ et al. (2005). Effects of purified drinking water on the body mass, dietary and drinking amounts, organic indexes and the cardiac contents of magnesium, zinc and copper in rats . 9(23), 84-86.

cited authors

  • Zhao, Q; Gao, JS; Shu, WQ; Qiu, ZQ; Chen, JA

authors

abstract

  • Aim: To observe the influence of purified drinking water and that with magnesium in it on the body mass, dietary amount, drinking amount, organic indexes and the cardiac contents of magnesium, zinc and copper in rats. Methods: The experiment was carried out in the laboratory of Department of Environmental Health, School of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA. from January and July 2003. A total of 180 healthy Wistar rats were equally randomized into 3 groups (half males and half females): tap-water group (control group), purified water group and purified water containing magnesium group (purified water +0.5 g/L magnesium sulfate). The body mass was measured once a week, 24-hour dietary and drinking amounts were detected once a month. At 3 and 6 months respectively, 30 rats (half males and half females) in each group were randomly selected and killed, their heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney were taken and weighed to calculate organic indexes, the cardiac contents of magnesium, zinc and copper were also detected at the same time. Results: All the 180 experimental rats were involved in the analysis of results. 1 Increase of body mass in the rats: Compared with the tap-water group, there was no significant influence in the purified drinking water group and purified water containing magnesium group. 2 Dietary and drinking amounts: There were significant decreases in the purified drinking water group during the late period of observation, and no significant differences were observed in the other two groups. 3 Cardiac contents of magnesium, zinc and copper: There were insignificant differences between the drinking water group and the tap-water group. 4 Organic indexes of heart and kidney: Those were significantly higher at 6 months in female rats in the drinking water group than in the tap-water group [0.39±0.07, 0.70±0.10; 0.33±0.04, 0.59±0.04, P < 0.05]. Conclusion: Under the conditions of the same internal feeding environment and feed, purified drinking water and that with magnesium in it can not result in the abnormal changes of the body mass, dietary and drinking amounts and the cardiac contents of magnesium, zinc and copper, but the organic indexes of heart and kidney in female rats are obviously higher in the purified drinking water group for more than 6 months than in the tap-water group, it is indicated that long-term drinking of purified water may have potential adverse influence on the cardiac and renal functions of rats (especially female rats).

publication date

  • June 21, 2005

start page

  • 84

end page

  • 86

volume

  • 9

issue

  • 23