Effects of Excessive Dietary Zinc on the Intrauterine and Postnatal Development of Mink

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 113; no. 11; pp. 2360 - 2367
• Main Authors: Bleavins, Michael R., Aulerich, Richard J., Hochstein, John R., Hornshaw, Thomas C., Napolitano, Angelo C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.11.1983; American Society for Nutritional Sciences
• Subjects: Age Factors; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Cell Count; Body Weight - drug effects; concanavalin A; Female; Fetus - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth - drug effects; Immune Tolerance - drug effects; Immunocompetence - drug effects; immunosuppression; Lymphocyte Activation - drug effects; lymphocyte blastogenesis; Lymphocytes - physiology; Male; mink; Mink - immunology; Mink - metabolism; Mother. Fetoplacental unit. Mammary gland. Milk; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - chemically induced; Pregnancy. Parturition. Lactation; Sex Factors; Vertebrates: reproduction; zinc; Zinc - toxicity; immunosuppression; mink; concanavalin A; zinc; lymphocyte blastogenesis; Vertebrata; Carnivora; Mammalia; Fetus; Metabolic diseases; Supplemented diet; Inorganic element; In utero; Zinc
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1093/jn/113.11.2360

Dietary exposure to 1000 ppm of supplemental Zn did not result in grossly observable Zn toxicity or Zn-induced Cu deficiency in adult mink. These same concentrations did, however, produce achromatrichia, alopecia, lymphopenia and a reduced rate of growth in the offspring produced by the Zn-treated females. These mink kits also exhibited profound immunosuppression. The in vitro blastogenic response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to concanavalin A was significantly (P < 0.001) lower in kits born to Zn-treated dams than the response of those born to control dams. The depressed immunoresponsiveness was not a permanent defect since a normal lymphocyte response was seen approximately 14 weeks after weaning and being placed on an unsupplemented basal diet. The impaired lymphocyte reactivity is believed to be the result of altered DNA synthesis in these cells and/or an inhibition of macrophage functions necessary for normal response to the mitogen concanavalin A.