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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #77489
Title: COMPARTMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ZINC KINETICS IN MATURE MALE RATS

Author
item House, William
item WASTNEY, MERYL - GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: American Journal of Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Failure to absorb adequate amounts of zinc from the diet may cause health problems because this essential trace mineral is required for numerous bodily processes, including the function of the immune, endocrine and neurological systems. Some understanding of how zinc is absorbed and utilized in the body has been obtained using compartmental analysis of zinc kinetics, but human studies have been limited in detail because many tissues can not be sampled. Therefore, because of the need for a more extensive model, a compartmental model of zinc kinetics in mature, male rats was developed. The model was based on zinc and radioisotopic zinc measured in samples of plasma, skeletal muscle, kidneys, testes, spleen, bone, intestinal segments, urine and feces, as well as published information on zinc concentration and zinc kinetics in other tissues. In the model, the intestinal tract was represented by five compartments. Plasma, spleen, kidneys and testes were each represented by an individual compartment. In contrast, two compartments each were used to represent exchangeable zinc in liver, bone, skeletal muscle, skin and red blood cells. The present model extends earlier reports of zinc kinetics, describes the distribution of zinc in the whole body, and provides a means to evaluate the influence of dietary insufficiencies on the metabolism of zinc. These results increase our understanding of zinc metabolism and will lead to improved nutritional health.

Technical Abstract: A compartmental model of zinc kinetics in mature, male rats was developed. The model was based on zinc and radioisotopic zinc measured in samples of plasma, skeletal muscle, kidneys, testes, spleen, bone, and intestinal segments collected at various times for up to 4 d after 65Zn was injected intravenously. Additionally, zinc intake, excretion of zinc and 65Zn in urine and feces, and the whole-body retention of 65Zn were determined. Other data used to develop the model included published information on zinc concentration and zinc kinetics in tissues that were not sampled. In the model, the intestinal tract was represented by five compartments. Plasma, spleen, kidneys and testes were each represented by an individual compartment. In contrast, two compartments each were used to represent exchangeable zinc in liver, bone, skeletal muscle, skin and red blood cells. The present model extends earlier models of zinc kinetics, describes the distribution of zinc in the whole body, and may provide a means to evaluate the influence of either pathophysiological conditions or dietary extremes on the metabolism of zinc.