Role of zinc along with ascorbic acid and folic acid during long-term in vitro albumin glycation.

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to investigate the role of Zn alone and in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and folic acid (FA) in albumin glycation. Glycation was performed by incubations of bovine serum albumin with glucose at 37 degrees C along with Zn, AA or FA separately and Zn + AA or Zn + FA for 150 d. Glycation-mediated modifications were monitored as fluorescence of advanced glycation endproducts, carbonyl formation, beta aggregation (thioflavin T and Congo red dyes), albumin-bound Zn, thiol groups and glycated aggregate's toxicity in HepG2 cells. Zn inhibited glycation and beta aggregation, probably due to observed higher protein-bound Zn. It also protected protein thiols and increased cell survival. AA and FA enhanced glycation, which was lowered in Zn-co-incubated samples. FA increased albumin-bound Zn and showed maximum cell survival. Although these results warrant further in vivo investigation, the present data help in the understanding of the interplay of Zn with micronutrients in albumin glycation.