[The effects of zinc supplementation on postburn nutritional status of zinc-deficient scalded rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of zinc supplementation on postburn nutritional status of zinc-deficient scalded rats.


METHODS
Weanling Wistar rats were fed with zinc-deficient diets for one week to induce zinc-deficient status. The rats were inflicted with 20% TBSA deep partial thickness burn and thereafter fed with diets of low, normal and high zinc contents. The scalded rats fed with normal zinc-containing diet before and after injury were taken as normal control group. The changes of body weight, cumulative nitrogen balance and the contents of DNA and protein in jejunum mucous, liver, kidneys, spleen and testis were employed to represent the nutritional status of the rats.


RESULTS
The rats fed with diets with normal and high contents of zinc were superior to those with low content of zinc in terms of body weight, food conversion rate, cumulative nitrogen balance and organ protein contents. The serum zinc level, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the DNA contents in jejunum mucous, kidneys, spleen and testis increased significantly after zinc supplementation.


CONCLUSIONS
Zinc supplementation was helpful to improve postburn nutritional status in scalded rats. And relative higher amount of zinc supplementation might be beneficial to raise the DNA content in testis and kidneys when compared to that with normal zinc supplement.
Li
F
F
Burn Institute, 304th Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100037, P.R. China.
Guo
Z
Z
Zhao
L
L
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002056:Burns / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000172:deficiency*
D004247:DNA; D015032:Zinc