Zinc Depletion following experimental fluorosis in mice.

The effect of fluoride administration on zinc levels in liver, kidney and bone, and on protein content (microgram/mg tissue wt) in liver and kidney was investigated by subjecting albino mice for 16 weeks to different concentrations of fluoride (0 ppm - control; 10 ppm - group I; 25 ppm - group II; 50 ppm - group III; 100 ppm - group IV; and 200 ppm- group V) in drinking water. Zinc levels decreased significantly in liver and bone of groups III, IV and V; the decrease being 17%, 25% and 44% (P less than 0.005) in the case of liver, and 14% (p less than 0.01), 24% (p less than 0.005), and 39% (p less than 0.005) in the case of bone in groups III, IV and V respectively. Zinc depletion in the kidney of the fluoridated animals was only statistically significant (p less than 0.005) in groups IV and V. Similarly the protein content also decreased in liver and kidney (in liver significant at p less than 0.005, p less than 0.01, and p less than 0.005; in kidney significant at p less than 0.005, p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.005 in groups III, IV and V respectively). The experimental animals, especially in groups IV (100 ppm F) and V (250 ppm F), also exhibited retardation in growth.