title: From the Cover: Zinc Deficiency Worsens and Supplementation Prevents High-Fat Diet Induced Vascular Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Pathological Remodeling.
abstract: Obesity has become a common public health problem in the world and raises the risk of various cardiovascular diseases. Zinc is essential for multiple organs in terms of normal structure and function. The present study investigated the effects of high fat diet (HFD) induced obesity on the aorta in mice, and evaluated whether it can be affected by zinc deficiency or supplementation. Four-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed HFD with varied amounts of zinc (deficiency, adequate and supplementation) for 3 and 6 months. Results showed that HFD feeding induced a time-dependent aortic remodeling, demonstrated by increased vessel wall thickness, tunica cell proliferation and fibrotic responses, and inflammatory response, reflected by increased expression of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1). HFD feeding also caused aortic oxidative damage, reflected by 3-nitrotyrosine and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal accumulation, and down-regulated nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) expression and function, shown by down-regulation of its downstream antioxidants, catalase, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (quinone 1), and metallothionein expression. The vascular effects of obesity-induced by HFD was exacerbated by zinc deficiency but significantly improved by zinc supplementation. In addition, down-regulation of Nrf2 function and associated antioxidants expression were also worsened by zinc deficiency but improved by zinc supplementation. These results suggest that HFD induces aortic remodeling, which can be exacerbated by zinc deficiency and improved by zinc supplementation.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Xi'an 710061, China Chinese-American Research Institute for Diabetic Complications, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Nursing, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202 Center of Cardiovascular Disease, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, China.
authors.forename: Shudong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202 Department of Nephrology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, China.
authors.forename: Manyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Center of Cardiovascular Disease, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, China.
authors.forename: Zhiguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202 School of Biomedicine, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
authors.forename: Xiaozhen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, SPHIS, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202;
authors.forename: Maiying
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Chinese-American Research Institute for Diabetic Complications, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Nursing, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, China shibingy@126.com.
authors.forename: Yuehui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: *Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Xi'an 710061, China shibingy@126.com.
authors.forename: Bingyin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Chinese-American Research Institute for Diabetic Complications, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Nursing, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D066253:Vascular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D015032:Zinc
keywords: antioxidant; high fat diet; inflammation; vascular disease; zinc