title: Antidiabetic and pancreas-protective effects of zinc threoninate chelate in diabetic rats may be associated with its antioxidative stress ability.
abstract: Zinc exerts a wide range of important biological roles. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of zinc threoninate chelate in blood glucose levels, lipid peroxidation, activities of antioxidant defense systems and nitrite concentration, and histology of the pancreas in diabetic rats. Wistar rats were intravenously injected with a single dose of streptozotocin to induce diabetes. Then, diabetic rats were administrated orally with zinc threoninate chelate (3, 6, and 9 mg/kg body weight) once daily for 7 weeks. Fasting blood glucose was monitored weekly. At the end of the experimental period, the diabetic rats were killed, and levels of serum insulin, malondialdehyde, and nitric oxide, activities of glutathione peroxidase, total superoxide dismutase, copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase, and nitric oxide synthase were determined; pancreas was examined histopathologically as well. Zinc threoninate chelate significantly reduced the blood glucose levels and significantly increased the serum insulin levels in diabetic rats. In addition, zinc threoninate chelate caused a significant increase in activities of antioxidant enzymes and significant decrease in nitrite concentration and malondialdehyde formation in the pancreas and serum of diabetic rats. These biochemical observations were supplemented by histopathological examination of the pancreas. These results suggested that the antidiabetic effect of zinc threoninate chelate may be related to its antioxidative stress ability in diabetic rats.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, 235 Nanjing East Road, Nanchang 330047, China.
authors.forename: Kexue
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Shaoping
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jianqin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Wenjuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Deming
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Mingyong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013311:Streptozocin
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; C021267:zinc thionein; D013311:Streptozocin; D008668:Metallothionein