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Moderate Zinc Supplementation During Prolonged Steroid Therapy Exacerbates Bone Loss in Rats

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Abstract

The present study was conducted to understand the influence of zinc on bone mineral metabolism in prednisolone-treated rats. Disturbance in bone mineral metabolism was induced in rats by subjecting them to prednisolone treatment for a period of 8 weeks. Female rats aged 6–8 weeks weighing 150 to 200 g were divided into four treatment groups, viz., normal control, prednisolone-treated (40 mg/kg body weight orally, thrice a week), zinc-treated (227 mg/L in drinking water, daily), and combined prednisolone + zinc-treated groups. Parameters such as changes in mineral levels in the bone and serum, bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), and bone 99m-technetium-labeled methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) uptake were studied in various treatment groups. Prednisolone treatment caused an appreciable decrease in calcium levels both in the bone and serum and also in bone dry weight, BMC, and BMD in rats. Prednisolone-treated rats when supplemented with zinc showed further reduction in calcium levels, bone dry weight, BMD, and BMC. The study therefore revealed that moderate intake of zinc as a nutritional supplement during steroid therapy could enhance calcium deficiency in the body and accelerate bone loss.

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Acknowledgment

We thank the Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, animal house facility for providing animal care and also the technical staff of the Department of Radiology, Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, for their analytical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Nuclear Medicine, University Institute of Emerging Areas in Science and Technology (UIEAST), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India

    Rozy Kamal & D. K. Dhawan

  2. Department of Radiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, 160012, India

    S. C. Bansal & N. Khandelwal

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shobhit University of Engineering and Technology, Meerut, 250110, India

    D. V. Rai

  4. Department of Biophysics,, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India

    D. K. Dhawan

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  1. Rozy Kamal
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Correspondence to D. K. Dhawan.

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Kamal, R., Bansal, S.C., Khandelwal, N. et al. Moderate Zinc Supplementation During Prolonged Steroid Therapy Exacerbates Bone Loss in Rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 160, 383–391 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0063-z

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