The influence of amino acids on copper uptake by rat liver slices.

Addition of physiological concentrations of 20 l-amino acids to the incubation medium facilitates the uptake of copper by liver slices. This effect can be observed in a wide range of initial concentrations of copper in the medium, including the low physiological concentrations. The uptake of copper was not influenced by the addition of sodium lactate or d-glucose to the incubation media. The facilitation of copper uptake by amino acids is abolished under anaerobic conditions. It is not affected by the presence of 2,4-dinitrophenol. The type of transport and its exact mechanism have not been established, but this type of transport does not fulfill the criteria for classification as simple diffusion.