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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #97583
Title: KINETICS OF ZINC METABOLISM

Author
item WASTNEY, M - GEORGETOWN MEDICAL UNIV
item House, William
item BARNSE, R - UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS
item SIVA SUBRAMANIAN, K - GEORGETOWN MEDICAL UNIV

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Kinetic studies are used to investigate the processes of absorption, distribution and metabolism of compounds in vivo as well as in vitro. By adding a tracer such as a stable or radioactive tracer to the system and then measuring its movement in the system over time, pool size and transport rates can be determined by mathematical modeling of the data. This approach enables rate differences to be determined in conditions that have been modified by either diet, environment, genetics, or disease. Zinc kinetics in humans have shown that there are multiple pools of zinc that turnover from minutes to years; the faster zinc pools are perturbed by diet. Zinc absorption and excretion processes are regulated to maintain tissue levels during high zinc intake. Moreover, copper interacts with zinc at specific absorption sites and the amount of copper consumed affects the degree of the interaction. Animal studies allow a greater understanding of kinetics because more tissues can be sampled and because environmental and genetic factors can be controlled. Kinetic studies in animals will provide information on both over-expression of genes or the deletion of genes coding for specific proteins involved in zinc transport and metabolism. The advances that have been made in our understanding of the role of zinc in metabolism have been aided by the development of techniques for the accurate determination of isotopes in biological materials. New developments will allow the kinetics of zinc bound to different compounds to be measured. Finally, kinetic studies are needed in healthy and disease states, such as in infants who are growing normally compared to those growing at markedly suboptimal rates, to more fully understand the role of zinc in human health & to provide dietary and therapeutic recommendations.