Effect of a zinc-deficient diet on lipid peroxidation in liver and tumor subcellular membranes.

The effect of a zinc-deficient diet on lipid peroxidation in liver and tumor mitochondrial and microsomal membrane preparations from BALB/c mice was investigated. Mitochondrial and microsomal membranes from both tissues displayed increased rates of in vitro peroxidation, both enzymatic and nonenzymatic. Measurement of in vivo peroxidation, using diene conjugation as an index of measurement revealed slight increases in tissues from zinc-deficient animals that were not statistically significant. Serum lipoperoxides analyzed from all three groups revealed no significant differences. The results point to an alteration in the peroxidation potential of mitochondrial and microsomal membranes due to zinc deficiency which may be related to an alteration in fatty acid composition.