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Effect of Zinc Deficiency on Sulfur-35 and Hexosamine Metabolism in the Epiphyseal Plate and Primary Spongiosa of the Chick^1,2,

U. S. Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory, Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver, Colorado 80240

The objective of this study was to ascertain whether or not the zinc status of the chick has an effect on sulfate-sulfur metabolism in the bone elongation region of the tibia. Studies were conducted in which 10 µCi of ³⁵SO₄^2- were given either orally or intraperitoneally to chicks which had been fed for 4 weeks either a zinc-deficient (14 ppm) or a zinc-sufficient (90 ppm) purified diet based upon soy protein and glucose. The zinc-sufficient chicks were divided into two groups: 1) ad libitum-fed, and 2) restricted-fed so that their average weight gain was approximately equal to that of the zinc-deficient chicks. At 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96 hours following isotope administration, five birds from each group were killed; the epiphyseal plate through the hypertrophic zone and the primary spongiosa of the tibias were removed and analyzed for ³⁵S content. The peak ³⁵S activity (dpm/mg fresh tissue) in those regions occurred approximately 12 hours following isotope administration by either method. Peak activity of the isotope was significantly less in the zinc-deficient chicks compared with either zinc-sufficient group. Hexosamine content per milligram fresh epiphyseal plate was not significantly altered by zinc deficiency. A significant increase in the hexosamine content of the primary spongiosa was noted under conditions of zinc deficiency. These results suggest that the metabolism of SO₄^2-, an important constituent of mucopolysaccharide in bone elongation regions, is altered by zinc deficiency in the chick.

² Some of these data were presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Atlantic City, New Jersey 1969 Federation Proc. 28: 762 (abstract).

³ Present address: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Human Nutrition Research Division, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.

Manuscript received 2 March 1970.