QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Greeley, S. Articles by Sandstead, H. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Greeley, S. Articles by Sandstead, H. H.

Oxidation of Alanine and ß-Hydroxybutyrate in Late Gestation by Zinc-Restricted Rats^1,2,

U.S. Department of Agriclture, Agricultural Research Service, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND 58202

The day 21 response of the Long-Evans pregnant rat to marginal dietary zinc intake was investigated in this experiment. Day 20 and 21 food intakes of zinc-restricted dams were below the control group amounts and indicated that dietary nitrogen and energy did not meet gestation requirements. Intravenous injections of tracer doses of [¹⁴C]alanine provided evidence for decreased oxidation of the carbon chain of alanine when zinc-restricted were compared to control dams. The plasma pool size of ß-hydroxybutyrate and the rate of ¹⁴CO₂ production following injection of the radioactively labeled ketone body indicated that substantial increases in the oxidation of ß-hydroxybutyrate were induced by restricted zinc feeding. Maternal plasma concentrations of alanine were marginally reduced, ß-hydroxybutyrate increased, and glucose unchanged by the suboptimal zinc diet. Litter weights at day 21 were moderately depressed (- 11%) by maternal zinc-restriction, suggesting that the chronic effects of mild dietary zinc deficiency are most apparent near term in this animal model.

KEY WORDS: • suboptimal zinc nutriture • gestation • Long-Evans rat • ketone body metabolism • alanine metabolism

¹ A preliminary report was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Dallas, TX, April, 1979; Greeley, S., Sandstead, H. H. and Nordling, B (1979) Effect of marginal Zn status on substrate oxidation in late gestation. Fed. Proc. 38, 703.

² Data from this study were taken from a dissrtation aubmitted by Sharon Greeley to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dabota in partial fulfillment of the Ph.D.

³ Pressent address: Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Manuscript received 26 October 1982.