title: Time-related changes induced by zinc-deficient diet in the concentration of rat cheek epithelial membrane-coating granules.
abstract: Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a diet containing 0.4 parts/10(6) zinc and controls were fed an identical diet supplemented with 40 parts/10(6) zinc. After 9, 18 and 27 days of zinc deficiency, specimens were excised from cheek epithelium and processed for transmission electron microscopy to study the concentration of membrane-coating granules (MCG). Their concentration was increased in the granular-cell layers of the zinc-deficient epithelium and became significantly greater after 18 and 27 days than 9 days of deficiency. MCGs appeared in the parakeratinized layers of zinc-deficient epithelium and their concentration became significantly greater after 27 days in comparison with 9 and 18 days of deficiency. Thus the intracellular retention of MCGs was increased in the granular and parakeratinized layers with the increase in time of zinc deficiency.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002610:Cheek; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005110:Extracellular Space; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007633:Keratins; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D007633:Keratins; D015032:Zinc