Changes in Manganese Content of Mononuclear Blood Cells in Patients Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition

We measured the manganese content of mononuclear blood cells and the manganese concentrations in whole blood and plasma from 31 healthy volunteers and 25 patients receiving total parenteral nutrition(TPN) (i.e., no dietary manganese). The manganese content (mean ± 2 SD) of mononuclear blood cells and the manganese con-centration in whole blood and plasma in the healthy vol-unteers were 8.84 ± 4.18 ng/108 cells, 11.21 ± 4.68 gIL, and 1.21 ± 0.72 gIL, respectively.The manganese con-tent of mononuclear blood cells from patients receiving TPN gradually decreased, falling below the lowest limitof the normal range by 21 weeks (95 % confidence limits, 13-30 weeks) after starting TPN. Manganese concentra-tions in whole blood and plasma were within normal limits during our study period. These results suggest that th