© 2002 The American Society for Nutritional Sciences
J. Nutr. 132:1769S-1770S, June 2002
Supplement: Waltham International Symposium
Serum Response after Oral Supplementation of Different Zinc Compounds in Horses
Brigitta Wichert2,
Kathrin Kreyenberg and
Ellen Kienzle
Institute of Physiology, Physiological Chemistry and Animal Nutrition, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
2To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Brigitta.Wichert{at}tiph.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de.
KEY WORDS: zinc horses serum response zinc compounds
EXPANDED ABSTRACT
Zinc has been discussed as a feed additive to improve hoof horn quality and skin diseases. Hooves of good quality contain more zinc than hooves of poor quality (1). Because zinc supplementation seems to increase the zinc content of the hoof (1), the bioavailability of different zinc compounds became potentially important. In the present investigation the serum response after oral supplementation of different zinc compounds was investigated.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
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Four ponies with a body weight (BW) between 200 and 350 kg were fed with a low zinc diet (hay and oats, zinc content: 27 mg/kg dry matter). They received the hay and half of the oats portion in the mornings after the zinc dose and the remaining portion of oats about 6 h later. The following zinc compounds were supplemented orally to the ponies in a Latin square design in single doses of 10 or 20 mg zinc/kg BW, respectively: zinc oxide, zinc sulfate and a zinc sulfate glycin chelate. One pony in each trial received the unsupplemented basal diet and functioned as a control. Zinc lactate was tested only at a dose of 10 mg/kg BW. Blood samples were taken before and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 24 h after the zinc dose. The time elapsed between different supplementations was a minimum of 7 d. Serum zinc was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry directly in the flame. Differences between maximum zinc content in serum samples were compared using a 2-factor analysis of variance and the Tukey test. The study was approved by the Regierung von Oberbayern, which is the appropriate authority according to German laws on animal welfare (Deutsches Tierschutzgesetz).
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
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After a single dose of 20 mg/kg BW zinc sulfate or zinc sulfate chelate the serum zinc concentration increased relative to that of the control and zinc oxide groups (Table 1). This increase was also confirmed when comparing the area under the curves (mean zinc serum levels x time). The increase of zinc in serum was significantly dose dependent.
There are numerous investigations on zinc availability in different species under various conditions and with different results (25), depending on experimental conditions. For instance, Cheng (2) reported that after a supplementation of pigs for about 30 d, the bioavailability of zinc sulfate was higher than that of zinc lysine as long as diets with a high lysine content (1.1%) were fed. In contrast, if diets with a low lysine content (0.8%) were supplemented with zinc lysine, the bioavailability was higher than that of zinc sulfate. Our own results after a high single dose of zinc indicate that inorganic zinc sulfate as well as zinc sulfate glycin chelate have a higher bioavailability than that of zinc oxide. Ley (5) reported no difference in bioavailability between an inorganic zinc and a chelated mineral compound in horses supplemented for at least 30 d. Unfortunately, he did not further specify what zinc compounds he used. Danek (3) measured the serum response in long-term experiments (30 d) of different concentrations of zinc sulfate and also reported a high bioavailability of zinc sulfate. In contrast, Schryver (4) reported an increase in the zinc concentration in serum after a long-term supplementation with zinc oxide. Even though in the present investigation the increase of serum levels after a single application of zinc oxide was not significant, a tendency to higher values was obvious.
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FOOTNOTES
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1 Presented as part of the Waltham International Symposium: Pet Nutrition Coming of Age held in Vancouver, Canada, August 67, 2001. This symposium and the publication of symposium proceedings were sponsored by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition. Guest editors for this supplement were James G. Morris, University of California, Davis, Ivan H. Burger, consultant to Mars UK Limited, Carl L. Keen, University of California, Davis, and DAnn Finley, University of California, Davis. 
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LITERATURE CITED
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1. Coenen, M. & Spitzlei, S. (1996) Zur Zusammensetzung des Hufhorns in Abhängigkeit von Alter, Rasse und Hufhornqualität. Pferdeheilkunde 3:279-283.
2. Cheng, J., Kornegay, E. T. & Schell, T. (1998) Influence of dietary lysine on the utilization of zinc from zinc sulfate and a zinc-lysine complex by young pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 76:1064-1074.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
3. Danek, J. (1998) The effect of zinc supplementation on zinc content in blood serum and semnal plasma and on quality of stallion semen. Pferdeheilkunde 3:231-240.
4. Schryver, H. F., Hintz, H. F. & Lowe, J. E. (1980) Absorption, excretion and tissue distribution of stable zinc and 65zinc in ponies. J. Anim. Sci. 51:896-902.
5. Ley, W. B., Thatcher, C. D., Swecker, S. & Lessard, P. N. (1990) Chelated mineral supplementation in the barren mare: a preliminary trial. Equine Vet. Sci. 10:176-181.