Decreased glutathione transferase activities in zinc-deficient rats

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Abstract
Weanling rats fed a zinc-deficient diet for 56 days exhibit a decrease in the total activities of glutathione transferases with l-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) as substrate in the liver, esophagus and stomach. The level of acid-soluble sulfhydryl group, on the other hand, is decreased in the liver, but elevated in the esophagus and kidney. Deficient rats fed a zinc-replenished diet for just 7 days have a fully restored glutathione transferase activity in all tissues except the liver. In view of our earlier findings that the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines are enhanced in zinc-deficient rats, the results that the dietary zinc deficiency reduces the activity of a ‘chemical carcinogen-detoxifying enzyme system’ are of more than routine interest.