Identification of thiomolybdates in digesta and plasma from sheep after administration of 99 Mo-labelled compounds into the rumen

Abstract

1. At 16 h after the rapid injection of 99 Mo-labelled compounds into the rumen of sheep maintained on dried grass (6.2 mg molybdenum/kg dry matter (DM), 4.3 g sulphur/kg DM), labelled thiomolybdates associated with the digesta solids or bound to plasma macromolecular species were displaced from their carriers in vitro and identified by Sephadex G25 chromatography. 2. After molybdate injection, the thiomolybdates displaced from rumen, duodenal and ileal solids were predominantly the trithio- and tetrathio- species. Dithiomolybdate was present to a relatively minor extent. Trace amounts of di- and trithiomolybdates were detected in the liquid phase of digesta from the duodenum. 3. Whether injected into the rumen as molybdate or tetrathiomolybdate, bound 99 Mo appearing in plasma was present mainly as di- and trithio- species. The tetrathio- species appeared in trace amounts in plasma only after tetrathiomolybdate injection, despite its existence almost exclusively in this form in rumen digesta. 4. The present study provides direct evidence for thiomolybdate synthesis within the rumen and indicates that while the effects of thiomolybdates in inhibiting copper absorption are likely to be due to tri- and tetrathio- molybdates, post-absorptive effects on Cu metabolism are probably due to di- or trithiomolybdate.