THE ENVIRONMENTAL INJURIES ARISING FROM ZINC DEFICIENCY IN THE EGYPTIAN ENVIRONMENT AND METHODS OF THEIR CIRCUMVENTION ' .

Abstract

5-weeks-old Swiss Webster out bred male mice fed zinc-deficient diet "due to lower zinc intake" did not lose weight during the first 2- weeks; from the third week, a gradual loss of body weight occurred "due to presence of wheat bran as dietary fiber of phytic acid in their diet" the loss of body weight was occurred before the end of the first 2- weeks. The growth as well as, the diets consumed by mice fed zinc supplemented diets with ZnNazEDTA, pumpkin seeds and ZnS04 .7I-lzO were very significant higher in the same manner than that the controllers and any of zinc-deficient diets. Nearly 25% of the mice fed zinc-deficient diet groups were less active, had lost hair, had acrodermatitis, had diarrhea, and had typical skin lesions on the tail and paws. Phytate of the wheat bran is known to complex with nutritional metals "Ca, Fe, Zn and Cu". Thus, the unavailable phytate and metallic nutrients complexes. it can not be utilized and were excreted in feces. Zinc may be the trace element whose its bio availability is most influenced by phytate; thus, the chelation of zinc by EDTA raised the utilization and the bio-availability of zinc in the presence of bran via make a necessary protection for zinc from action of phytate complexation and dissociated in the gut of mice to allow zinc to be free to absorb on the intestine lumen. Calcium concentration of the diet could have a positively effect on zinc absorption by neutralizing the negatively charges of the phytate those inhibit zinc uptake.