Effect of Zinc-Deficient Diet on Two Strains of Mice.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide. It is associated with reduced nutritional status and has been reported in cases of growth retardation, alopecia, and decreased serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP). It has also been reported to occur during total parenteral nutrition (TPN) administration and is associated with various diseases, such as liver diseases, diabetes, and kidney disease. We used Zn-deficient mice of ICR and C57BL/6J strains to investigate the various effects of Zn deficiency on the body, assuming that a healthy person may also become deficient in Zn either due to an unbalanced diet or malabsorption. The results showed that a Zn-deficient diet suppressed body weight gain and increased the tissue weight of the kidneys and cecum in both strains of mice. Biochemical data showed no decrease in serum ALP activity in either strain. Furthermore, in C57BL/6J mice, a Zn-deficient diet caused alopecia, loss of villi in the small intestine, and eventually affected the intestinal mucosa, which could be a risk factor for poor nutritional status. Although previous reports have shown that serum ALP activity is decreased during Zn deficiency, this is the first study that used 4-wk-old mice of ICR and C57BL/6J strains to show that serum ALP activity, which is a Zn deficiency marker, did not decrease in the two strains of Zn-deficient mice; furthermore, a Zn-deficient diet causes various symptoms.

Resveratrol, a phytoestrogen found in red wine, down-regulates protein S expression in HepG2 cells.

UNLABELLED: INTRODUATION: Resveratrol, a phytoestrogen present at a high concentration in red wine, has been reported to possess many health benefit effects that are protective against age-related diseases. Protein S (PS), an important anticoagulant factor in the protein C (PC) anticoagulant pathway, is mainly synthesized by hepatocytes, and its plasma level is decreased in high-estrogen conditions such as pregnancy and oral contraceptive use. The aim of this study was to investigate whether resveratrol affects PS expression in HepG2 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The secreted and intracellular levels of PS were determined by an enzyme-linked ligandsorbent assay and Western blotting. The mRNA expressions of PS, PC and ß chain of C4b-binding protein (C4BP-ß) were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The PS gene promotor activities in HepG2 cells transiently expressing estrogen receptor (ER) α were examined by a luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: Resveratrol dose- and time-dependently down-regulated the PS expression in HepG2 cells at a transcriptional level, resulting in a significant decrease in secreted PS; however, the PC and C4BP-ß mRNA expressions were not affected. This action of resveratrol was not mediated through either the ER signaling or those of mitogen-activated protein kinases and protein kinase C. Piceatannol, a hydroxylated metabolite of resveratrol, and genistein, an isoflavone found in soy products, also down-regulated the PS expression. CONCLUSIONS: Resveratrol down-regulates the PS expression in HepG2 cells in an ER-independent manner, and the two phenolic hydroxyls at carbon-3 and -5 of resveratrol may be involved in this function.