[The effects of zinc deficiency and testosterone supplement on testosterone synthesis and skeletal muscle of rats].
The effects of zinc deficiency and testosterone (T) supplement on T synthesis and skeletal muscle were investigated in zinc-deficient and zinc-replenished rats. The results showed that there were significantly lower weights of body, testes and musculus extensor digitorum longus, lower contents of T in testes and serum and total RNA in the profundus muscularis of quadriceps femoris of zinc-deficient rats. T supplement had no favourable effects on the decreased indices mentioned above. On the contrary, T supplement inhibited the endogenous synthesis of T and caused further atrophy of testes in zinc-deficient rats. The concentrations of actins, DNA and total protein in skeletal muscle were not influenced markedly by zinc deficiency and/or T supplement. It suggested that the decrease of anabolism in skeletal muscle is not related to the low level of T in the rats under the condition of zinc deficiency.
D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency*