title: Marginal zinc deficiency increased the susceptibility to acute lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury in rats.
abstract: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) triggers a global activation of inflammatory responses leading to liver injury in humans. Zinc pretreatment has been shown to prevent LPS-induced hepatic necrosis. In North America, suboptimal zinc status is more common than once realized. However, the effect of inadequate zinc nutrition on the host's susceptibility to LPS-induced liver injury is not known. The objective of this study was to determine whether marginal zinc deficiency would render rats more susceptible to LPS-induced liver injury. Weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of three dietary treatment groups: marginally low zinc ad libitum (Z3; 3 mg zinc/kg diet), adequate zinc ad libitum (Z30; 30 mg zinc/kg diet), or adequate zinc pair-fed (Z30P) group. After 6 weeks, each dietary treatment group was further divided into LPS-control (saline) groups (C-Z3, C-Z30P, C-Z30) and LPS-treatment (1 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneal, 8 hrs) groups (LPS-Z3, LPS-Z30P, LPS-Z30). LPS reduced the serum zinc concentration and increased the liver zinc concentration regardless of dietary zinc intake. Serum alanine aminotransferase level was higher in the LPS-Z3 rats than in the LPS-Z30P and LPS-Z30 rats. LPS also induced hepatocyte necrosis and neutrophil infiltration into the liver sinusoids. This LPS-induced liver damage was more severe in the LPS-Z3 rats than in the LPS-Z30P and LPS-Z30 rats. Together these findings have demonstrated that marginal zinc deficiency increased the susceptibility to LPS-induced liver injury in rats. These results indicate that patients with sepsis who have suboptimal zinc nutrition status may be at higher risk of developing greater liver damage.
authors.affiliation: Food, Nutrition, & Health, The University of British Columbia, 2205 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shea-Budgell
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dojka
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nimmo
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Zhaoming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D015032:Zinc