Component analysis of Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps after solid-state fermentation by okara and its safety evaluation in mice and rats.

To explore the chemical components and nutrient components of Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps, component analysis was characterized using UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS. Then, the acute toxicity and the subacute toxicity were conducted, respectively. A total of 38 compounds were detected and quantified. Meanwhile, Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps had higher quantities of macronutrients, primarily Zn, which was remarkably higher than the human recommended daily values (p < 0.001). Importantly, no evidence of toxicity was observed in the mice after acute exposure to Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps. In subacute toxicity studies, there were no significant differences in the body and organ weights. In the blood chemistry analysis, no significant changes occurred. Pathologically, neither histopathological changes nor gross abnormalities were observed. Thus, our study highlights the potential for using Xylaria sp. L1 sporocarps as novel food with Zn supplementation for humans.

Different responses to joint exposure to cadmium and zinc depends on the sex in Populus cathayana.

The alarming increase in soil contamination by heavy metals, such as cadmium and zinc demands immediate attention. The dioecious tree Populus cathayana, a phytoremediation plant, plays an important role in rehabilitating heavy metal contaminated areas. In this study, male and female P. cathayana plants were treated with Cd (20 mg kg-1) and different levels of Zn (25, 50, or 100 mg kg-1) to study their physiological responses. The results showed that Cd exposure alone caused stress by inhibiting the growth of both male and female plants. In both males and females, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzymes activities decreased substantially under Cd stress alone. Cd was largely located in the roots, but Zn was present in the shoots of both sexes. Zn supplementation considerably increased the photosynthetic rate from 14.62 % to 60.45 % and also enhanced the antioxidant enzymes activities from 24.11 % to 86.21 %. Zn treatment decreased the translocation ability of Cd compared to the Cd-only treatment, alleviating Cd toxicity. In addition, when sufficient Zn was made available, males showed a high degree of Cd accumulation, low root-to-shoot translocation, elevated antioxidant defense abilities, and an increased photosynthetic rate, while females were less responsive to Cd stress than males. Thus, combined exposure to Cd and Zn caused differential responses in plant growth and physiological processes between males and females P. cathayana. Male plants exhibit better Cd tolerance and accumulation capacity under optimum Zn supplementation. This study increases the fundamental knowledge regarding P. cathayana plants, which can be applied to enhance their remediation capacity in Cd-contaminated soils.

Enhancing the nutritional value of Portulaca oleracea L. by using soilless agronomic biofortification with zinc.

Zinc (Zn) plays a crucial role for human health. Zn deficiency is a common problem worldwide, causing health problems specifically related with detrimental effects on immune system. In this study we used hydroponic floating system and nutrient solutions (NS) with different levels of Zn (0.13 - control, 1.3, 2.6 and 5.2 mg/L Zn) in order to test a biofortification process aimed to increase the Zn tissue content of two different varieties (commercial and wild) of purslane. We evaluated the effects of the treatments on yield, visual and overall nutritional quality of the edible part of plants. Biofortification treatments did not affect plant yield, but increased the Zn content in the edible part of purslane by 1.8, 2.3 and 2.7-fold, respectively with 1.3, 2.6 and 5.2 mg/L Zn in the NS, so that the consumption of a serving portion of 150 g of baby leaf purslane biofortified with the highest Zn concentration would account for 21% of RDA (recommended daily allowance) for this nutrient. The Zn biofortification process did not affect colour parameters, therefore no differences in the product visual quality were observed. Zn treatment with 5.2 mg/L allowed to obtain an increase in neoxanthin, lutein and ß-carotene, while it was not possible to outline a common trend for the fatty acids profile in relation to the Zn treatments. The consumption of hydroponic purslane biofortified with Zn may allow to improve the Zn nutritional status of consumers, and provides different important phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and unsaturated fatty acids.

An observational study on the relationship between zinc concentrations in bulk tank milk and in serum and farmer-reported zinc supplementation of dairy cattle for facial eczema prophylaxis.

AIMS: To describe the concentration of Zn in bulk tank milk (BTM) in a sample of New Zealand dairy farms, investigate the association between the method of Zn administration for facial eczema prophylaxis and Zn concentrations in BTM and investigate the relationship between the concentration of Zn in serum and that in BTM. METHODS: Multiple BTM samples (n = 3,330) collected during milk pick-up by the milk tanker driver were stored and tested for 121 farms, in Northland (n = 50), Waikato (n = 51) and Southland (n = 20) from February to May 2017. Enrolled farms provided retrospective information on the type of Zn supplementation (if any) used for the prevention of facial eczema and the timeframe over which supplementation occurred. In addition, the concentration of Zn in serum was measured in blood samples collected from ≥15 cattle per farm for 22 farms from Northland (n = 11) and Waikato (n = 11), and compared against the concentrations of Zn in BTM on the day of blood sampling. A linear mixed model was used to model log Zn concentrations in BTM using method of Zn supplementation, region, milk fat and protein percentage, volume of milk, and frequency of milk pick-up as risk factors. A mixed logistic regression model was used to assess the relationship between Zn concentrations in BTM and the presence of cows with a concentration of Zn in serum of ≥20 µmol/L. RESULTS: The median Zn concentration in BTM was 67.9 (min 38.9, max 146.6) µmol/L. The median range of Zn concentrations for repeated samples of BTM within farm was 22.6 µmol/L. In comparison to farms that did not use any form of Zn supplementation, farms that supplemented Zn through a slow-release capsule, oral drench, in feed or a combination of in-feed and water were associated with increased concentrations of Zn in BTM (p < 0.001). There was no difference in Zn concentrations in BTM between farms that administered Zn through the water only and farms that did not administer Zn (p = 0.22). Every 15.3 µmol/L increase in Zn concentration in BTM was associated with 2.2 times (95% CI=1.7-2.9) the odds of a cow having Zn concentration in serum ≥20 µmol/L. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Zn concentration in BTM is highly variable between farms, days and Zn administration method. Zn concentration in BTM content has modest potential as a way to signal whether a herd has achieved the high Zn status considered to be protective against FE.

Zn phytoextraction and recycling of alfalfa biomass as potential Zn-biofortified feed crop.

Zn is an essential micronutrient for living organisms and, in that capacity, it is added to animal feed in intensive livestock production to promote growth and eliminate diseases. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) may have the potential to compensate and substitute the need for chemical Zn additives in feeds as a Zn-biofortified feed crop when grown on Zn-enriched soils. Thus, this possibility was investigated with a greenhouse experiment using three soils with Zn concentrations (mg kg-1) of 189 (soil A), 265 (soil B) and 1496 (soil C). Ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinate acid (EDDS) and Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) at different rates (0 as control, 0.5, 2 and 5 mmol kg-1) were applied as soil additives to enhance the phytoextraction efficiency of alfalfa. The results showed that Zn was highly transferable in alfalfa tissues in the three soils even without additives. EDDS was more effective than NTA in enhancing Zn phytoextraction by alfalfa. The maximum Zn accumulation in the third cutting shoots was obtained with the EDDS concentration of 5 mmol kg-1 in soil A and of 2 mmol kg-1 in soil B, with a 462% and 162% increase compared with controls, respectively. However, the higher EDDS concentration resulted in a significant reduction in biomass production. In soil C, all EDDS concentrations resulted in similar Zn accumulations in the third shoot. To improve the phytoextraction efficacy of Zn while minimizing its phytotoxicity on alfalfa, the rate of 2 mmol kg-1 EDDS proved to be optimal for soil B, and 0.5 mmol kg-1 EDDS for soils A and C. Findings suggest that phytoextraction of Zn-enriched soil can be combined with Zn biofortification, thus allowing to recycle Zn into biomass that can, to an extent, substitute Zn feed additives. This study provided a primary data set for the combination of Zn-biofortification and Zn-phytoextraction.

The effects on the quality of poultry meat of supplementing feed with zinc-methionine complex.

BACKGROUND: Recently, an increase in the consumption of poultry meat has been observed Worldwide. This is related to the growing production of this kind of meat. Intensive poultry meat production affects the level of bird welfare and meat quality. The meat industry is looking for new solutions that can reduce meat quality defects. One of them may undoubtedly be a feed reformulation, of which a supplementation with zinc can be taken into consideration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Zn supplementation of chicken feed on the technological and sensory quality of meat. METHODS: The research was carried out on material taken from 60 carcasses. Half of the group (30 pieces) was fed with Zn in the form of nonorganic compounds (zinc oxide) and the other 30 chickens were fed zinc in its organic form, and amino acids (ratio 1:1). After the broilers were slaughtered, the meat quality was evaluated in the breast muscle, and was based on pH value, color parameters, natural drip loss, cooking loss, microbiological status, sensory quality, instrumental shear force and lipid oxidation status. RESULTS: The obtained results show that lower levels (p ≤ 0.01) of drip loss (1.04%), and higher amounts   (p ≤ 0.01) of glucose (4.61 mmol/l) and protein (0.7%) were found in the meat from the group fed with zinc in organic form as an additive. Moreover, the meat from this group was less red (a* value = –0.46 vs. 0.11) and less yellow (b* value 8.41 vs. 10.16) at the same time (p ≤ 0.01). There were no significant differences between the examined groups for cooking loss, microbiological status, lipid oxidation and sensory quality. CONCLUSIONS: It should be stated that Zn supplementation in a form with amino acids has a beneficial effect on the quality of poultry meat as far as drip loss reduction is concerned.

Zinc Inhibits HIF-Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor-Aggravated VSMC Calcification Induced by High Phosphate.

Vascular calcification is a life-threatening clinical condition in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with reduced zinc serum levels. Anemia is another frequent complication of CKD. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizers, also known as HIF prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (PHI), are promising candidates to treat CKD-associated anemia by increasing erythropoietin synthesis. Recent evidence suggests that HIFs play a pivotal role in vascular calcification. Our study explored feasible impacts of HIF PHI on phosphate (Pi)-induced calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and tested whether zinc might inhibit this mineralization process. Treatment of VSMCs with PHI aggravated Pi-induced calcium deposition and Pi uptake. PHI promoted Pi-induced loss of smooth muscle cell markers (ACTA-2, MYH11, SM22α) and enhanced osteochondrogenic gene expression (Msx-2, BMP-2, Sp7) triggering osteochondrogenic phenotypic switch of VSMCs. These effects of PHI paralleled with increased pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) expression, decreased Runx2 Ser451 phosphorylation, and reduced cell viability. Zinc inhibited Pi-induced mineralization of VSMCs in a dose-dependent manner and also attenuated the pro-calcification effect of PHI in Pi-induced mineralization. Zinc inhibited osteochondrogenic phenotypic switch of VSMCs reflected by lowering Pi uptake, decreasing the expressions of Msx-2, BMP-2, and Sp7 as well as the loss of smooth muscle cell-specific markers. Zinc preserved phosphorylation state of Runx2 Ser451, decreased PDK4 level, and restored cell viability. PHI alone reduced the expression of smooth muscle markers without inducing mineralization, which was also inhibited by zinc. In addition, we observed a significantly lower serum zinc level in CKD as well as in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy compared to healthy individuals. Conclusion - PHI promoted the loss of smooth muscle markers and augmented Pi-induced osteochondrogenic phenotypic switch leading to VSMCs calcification. This mineralization process was attenuated by zinc. Enhanced vascular calcification is a potential risk factor during PHI therapy in CKD which necessitates the strict follow up of vascular calcification and zinc supplementation.

Zinc and infant nutrition.

Zinc is essential for a wide variety of cellular processes in all cells. It is a critical dietary nutrient, particularly in the early stages of life. In the early neonatal period, adequate sources of zinc can be obtained from breast milk. In rare circumstances, the mammary gland produces zinc deficient milk that is potentially lethal for exclusively breast-fed infants. This can be overcome by zinc supplementation to the infant. Alterations to key zinc transporters provide insights into the mechanisms of cellular zinc homeostasis. The bioavailability of zinc in food depends on the presence of constituents that may complex zinc. In many countries, zinc deficiency is a major health issue due to poor nourishment. Young children are particularly affected. Zinc deficiency can impair immune function and contributes to the global burden of infectious diseases including diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria. Furthermore, zinc deficiency may extend its influence across generations by inducing epigenetic effects that alter the expression of genes. This review discusses the significance of adequate zinc nutrition in infants, factors that influence zinc nutrition, the consequences of zinc deficiency, including its contribution to the global burden of disease, and addresses some of the knowledge gaps in zinc biology.