Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Zinc deficiency increases plasma lipids and atherosclerotic markers in LDL-receptor-deficient mice.

Authors: Reiterer, Gudrun; MacDonald, Ruth; Browning, Jim D; Morrow, Jason; Matveev, Sergey V; Daugherty, Alan; Smart, Eric; Toborek, Michal; Hennig, Bernhard

Published In J Nutr, (2005 Sep)

Abstract: Low zinc concentration can be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. In the current study, we hypothesize that zinc deficiency can increase and zinc supplementation can decrease proatherosclerotic events in LDL receptor knock-out (LDL-R-/-) mice fed a moderate-fat diet. Mice were fed either a zinc-deficient (0 micromol Zn/g), a control (0.45 micromol Zn/g), or a zinc-supplemented (1.529 micromol Zn/g) diet for 4 wk. Mice fed the zinc-deficient diet had significantly increased concentrations of cholesterol and triacylglycerides in the VLDL and HDL fractions. Zinc supplementation decreased these lipid variables compared with control mice. We detected significantly higher concentrations of glutathione reductase mRNA in the thoracic aortae of zinc-deficient mice. Furthermore, inflammatory markers, such as nuclear factor-kappaB and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, were significantly increased in zinc-deficient mice compared with mice of the control or supplemented groups. In addition, zinc deficiency significantly reduced the DNA binding activity of peroxisome proliferator activate receptors (PPARs) in liver extracts. Interestingly, mRNA expression levels of PPARgamma were significantly increased in thoracic aortae of zinc-deficient mice, indicating an adaptation process to decreased PPAR signaling. These data provide in vivo evidence of zinc deficiency inducing proinflammatory events in an atherogenic mouse model. These data also suggest that adequate zinc may be a critical component in protective PPAR signaling during atherosclerosis.

PubMed ID: 16140885 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Animals; Atherosclerosis/metabolism*; Biomarkers/metabolism*; Body Weight; Glutathione Reductase/genetics; Lipids/blood*; Liver/metabolism; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Osmolar Concentration; PPAR gamma/genetics; RNA, Messenger/metabolism; Receptors, LDL/deficiency*; Transcription Factors/metabolism; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1/genetics; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1/metabolism; Zinc/deficiency*; Zinc/metabolism

Back
to Top