Effect of zinc deficiency and food restriction on the plasma levels of prostaglandin metabolites in male rats.

The pathological signs of zinc and essential fatty acid deficiencies are highly analogous and aspirin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, produces similar pathology when fed at toxic levels. To investigate the possibility that impaired prostaglandin biosynthesis is involved in the etiology of zinc deficiency pathology, the plasma concentrations of three prostaglandin metabolites were determined in zinc-deficient and control rats. Immature male rats were fed a purified diet low in zinc (less than 1 ppm) for 3 weeks. Ad libitum- and pair-fed controls consumed a similar diet supplemented with 100 ppm zinc. The zinc-deficient rats had low plasma zinc and their plasma concentrations of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto PGF2 alpha and 13,14-dihyro-15-keto PGE2 were significantly higher than those of the pair-fed controls. Plasma 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was not different between the zinc-deficient and pair-fed groups, but was significantly lower in deficient rats than in ad libitum-fed controls. The pair-fed controls had significantly lower plasma concentrations of all three metabolites than did the ad libitum-fed control group. The results suggest no impairment of prostaglandin production in zinc-deficient male rats.