Plasma Zinc and Leukocyte Changes in Weanling and Pregnant Rats during Zinc Deficiency

Abstract

Dietary zinc deficiency was shown to result in a rapid fall in the plasma zinc levels of pregnant female and weanling male rats. In both groups, plasma zinc fell to 45-60% of its original level after only one day on the deficiency regime. Longer periods of zinc depletion (21 days) were found to increase the ratio of PMN leukocytes to lymphocytes in the blood by a factor of 10. General food restriction elicited a similar response in pregnant females but not in young males. The zinc deficiency regime had no effect upon the total leukocyte count or upon the concentration of zinc in the leukocytes.