title: Intestinal cellular proliferation and protein synthesis in zinc-deficient rats.
abstract: Immature male Wistar rats were given a low-zinc semi-synthetic diet (2 mg Zn/kg) for 28 d. Control groups received a similar diet supplemented with 58 mg Zn/kg either ad lib. or in amounts matched to the consumption of the Zn-deficient group. Rates of growth, food consumption and small intestinal length were significantly reduced in the Zn-depleted rats. Zn deficiency in the rat was associated with a reduction in the ratio, crypt: villus and a lower rate of crypt cell division in the jejunum. This resulted in a substantial decrease in the net influx of new cells into the villi of the Zn-deficient animals compared with controls. The fractional rates of protein synthesis in jejunal mucosa were measured by a technique based on the determination of L-[4-3H]phenylalanine incorporation. There was no evidence of a decline in the protein synthetic rate in total mucosa from Zn-deficient rats. It is suggested that a reduction in cell influx into the villi may be responsible for the morphological and functional changes observed in the small intestine of rats fed on a low-Zn diet.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002455:Cell Division; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D015032:Zinc