Regulatory role of zinc during aluminium-induced altered carbohydrate metabolism in rat brain.

Aluminium is considered an environmental neurotoxicant and causes many neurological disorders, whereas zinc is vital for many biological functions. The present study was carried out to investigate the role of Zn, if any, in mitigating the adverse effects inflicted by Al on carbohydrate metabolism in rat brain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 140-160 g were divided into four different groups: normal control, Al-treated (100 mg/kg b.w./day in drinking water via oral gavage), Zn-treated (227mg/liter in drinking water), and combined Al- and Zn-treated rats. All the treatments were continued for 2 months, and their effects on carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes were studied. Additionally, expressions of the proteins glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) and protein phosphatase (PP1), which help in regulating carbohydrate energy metabolism, were also studied. Al treatment resulted in increased activities of the glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P), glucose-6-isomerase (G6I), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), whereas the activities of hexokinase and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and glycogen content were decreased. Moreover, no significant change was observed in the biochemical parameters upon Zn supplementation alone. However, Zn supplementation to Al-treated rats was able to reduce significantly the Al-induced increased activities of G6P, G6I, and LDH, but it elevated the levels of hexokinase, SDH, and glycogen. Furthermore, Al treatment increased the protein expression of GSK3 and decreased the PP1 expression, which were found to be reversed upon Zn administration. Hence, Zn is effective in regulating theAl-induced alterations in carbohydrate metabolism.