Zinc Supplementation in Oral Rehydration Solutions: Experimental Assessment and Mechanisms of Action

Zinc Supplementation in Oral Rehydration Solutions: Experimental Assessment and Mechanisms of Action

Waseem Altaf, MD, Shahana Perveen, MD, Khalil U. Rehman, MD, Saul Teichberg, PhD, Ivana Vancurova, PhD, Rita G. Harper, MD, FACN and Raul A. Wapnir, PhD, FACN, CNS

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Manhasset, New York

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Fig. 1. NOS activity obtained from intestinal homogenates of rats fed either a normal, zinc-sufficient diet; a zinc-deficient diet for three weeks, prior to and after being given five days of cathartic solution; after cathartic treatment and recovery with ORS without zinc (-Zn) or with 1 mM zinc (+Zn); and zinc-deficient rats not exposed to cathartic, but given either ORS for two days. The error brackets indicate the SEM. The number of animals is that of Tables 1 and 2. ${dagger}$ Indicates a significant difference (p < 0.05) respect of all other groups.

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Fig. 2. Cecal nitrate plus nitrite content of the treatment groups described for Fig. 1. ${dagger}$ Indicates a significant difference (p < 0.05) in respect to all other groups. * Denotes p < 0.05 between the cathartic-treated and not treated rats, after recovery with ORS, combining the results of those animals consuming fluids with or without zinc. The number of rats in each group is indicated in the tables.

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Fig. 3. Intestinal villi from rats after two days in recovery from cathartic-induced diarrhea with ORS without zinc (a) or with zinc (b). Note the expansion of the intercellular space in the specimen (b). Magnification: 160x.

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Fig. 4. Electrophoretic mobility assay shift (EMSA) of NF- ${kappa}$ B from specimens obtained from zinc-deficient, cathartic-treated rats which recovered with an ORS with zinc (Zn +) and from rats which received ORS without zinc (Zn -). The areas corresponding a NF- ${kappa}$ B mobility show a significantly greater DNA binding activation in the Zn- rats (densitometry readings: 53.2, 57.2) than in the Zn+ samples (32.1, 48.2). Details of the technique are given in the text.