Nickel deficiency and nickel-rhodium interaction in chicks.

Nielsen FH, Myron DR, Givand SH, Ollerich DA

Nickel deficiency was produced in chicks under near optimal growth conditions. This judgment is based on the finding that chicks fed the experimental diet supplemented with nickel had a very satisfactory growth rate, over 600 g in 4 weeks. To induce nickel deficiency, chicks were raised in plastic cages located inside plastic isolators and were fed diets (containing 2-15 ng of nickel/g) based on dried skim milk, acid-washed ground corn, EDTA-extracted soy protein, and corn oil. In 2 experiments, controls were fed 3 mug of nickel/g as NiCl2-6H2O. In experiment 3, instead of 1 control group 25, 50, 250, and 2,500 ng/g of supplemental dietary nickel as NiCl2-6H2O were each given to separate groups of chicks. Nickel deprivation resulted in: ultrastructural changes in the liver with the most obvious abnormality in the organization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; altered gross appearance, reduced oxidative ability, and decreased lipid phosphorus in the liver; altered shank skin pigmentation that was associated with a decrease in yellow lipochrome pigments; and lower hematocrits. Deficiency also tended to increase the thickness of the legs and size of the hock; decrease the length:width ratios of the tibias and femurs; and decrease the plasma cholesterol. None of the signs of deficiency were seen in chicks fed diets containing at least 52 ng of nickel/g. In one experiment, a group of birds was fed 50 mug of rhodium/g of diet as (ClRh(NH3)5)SO4 to ascertain whether rhodium is a metabolic antagonist of nickel. Supplemental rhodium increased the hematocrits and liver oxidative ability of both nickel-deficient and -supplemented chicks, and increased total liver lipids, liver lipid phosphorus, and liver cholesterol in the nickel-deficient chicks alone. Rhodium did not increase the signs of nickel deficiency.

PMID: 1195022, UI: 76071236

 

: J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1999;37(2):239-58

Nickel.

Barceloux DG

dgbarcelou@aol.com

Nickel is an essential element for at least several animal species. These animal studies associate nickel deprivation with depressed growth, reduced reproductive rates, and alterations of serum lipids and glucose. Although there is substantial evidence of an essential status for nickel in animals, a deficiency state in humans has not been clearly defined. Nickel is a silver-white metal with siderophilic properties that facilitate the formation of nickel-iron alloys. In contrast to the soluble nickel salts (chloride, nitrate, sulfate), metallic nickel, nickel sulfides, and nickel oxides are poorly water-soluble. Nickel carbonyl is a volatile liquid at room temperature that decomposes rapidly into carbon monoxide and nickel. Drinking water and food are the main sources of exposure for the general population with the average American diet containing about 300 micrograms Ni/d. Nickel is highly mobile in soil, particularly in acid soils. There is little evidence that nickel compounds accumulate in the food chain. Nickel is not a cumulative toxin in animals or in humans. Almost all cases of acute nickel toxicity result from exposure to nickel carbonyl. The initial effects involve irritation of the respiratory tract and nonspecific symptoms. Patients with severe poisoning develop intense pulmonary and gastrointestinal toxicity. Diffuse interstitial pneumonitis and cerebral edema are the main cause of death. Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate is an investigational drug used to chelate nickel following exposure to nickel carbonyl. Nickel is a common sensitizing agent with a high prevalence of allergic contact dermatitis. Nickel and nickel compounds are well-recognized carcinogens. However, the identity of the nickel compound or compounds, which cause the increased risk of cancer, remains unclear. Currently, there are little epidemiological data to indicate that exposure to metallic nickel increases the risk of cancer, or that exposure to the carcinogenic forms of nickel causes cancer outside the lung and the nasal cavity.