EFFECT OF ZINC DEFICIENCY ON THE EXPRESSION OF eNOS AND COX2

BIAGGIO V, ALVAREZ SM, GATICA L, GOMEZ NN, GIMENEZ MS.

San Luis

Congreso; SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE FARMACOLOGIA (SAFE); 2003

Universidad Nacional de San Luis

ABSTRACT Zinc is an essential component of biomembranes and it is necessary for the maintenance of membrane structure and function. On the other hand nitric oxide derived from the endothelium is an important regulator of vessel homeostasis. NO has been implicated in the regulation of other processes including coagulation, inflammation, etc. These studies aimed at investigating the effect of chronic Zinc deficiency as an essential factor for maintaining the integrity of lung vessels and for protecting against inflammatory situations. Adult Wistar male rats were divided into two groups and fed respectively a moderately Zinc-deficient diet containing 5mg Zn/Kg and a Zn-adequate control diet supplemented with 30 mg Zinc/kg, in agreement with the (AIN 93-M) diet. The content of NO was quantified by Griess reaction. eNOS and COX-2 expression were analyzed by Western blot and the bands were quantified with Scion Image Software from NIH. NO production increased in lung (p<0.01) and serum (p<0.01), associated with the higher expression of eNOS (p<0.05) and COX-2 (p<0.05). It would be important to use the knowledge of zinc deficiency implications in order to design therapies and public health interventions for high-risk groups of certain diseases, such as asthma, that could increase their life quality with zinc supplementation.