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Effect of Zinc Upon Human and Murine Cell Viability and Differentiation

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Abstract

Most zinc studies show its benefits or changes that coincide with its deficiency, but some have reported damages by supplements. In this work, the effects of zinc in different cell lines (U-937, human monocytes, and murine bone marrow cells) were analyzed. The cells were put in their specific culture medium either alone or with a stimulant [1-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for U-937 and monocytes, granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) for bone marrow cells]. These preparations, with or without zinc (0.05 to 1.0 mM), were incubated and microscopically analyzed on days 3, 9, and 11. The viability of all cells cultivated with 0.05 and 0.1 mM of zinc was similar to that of the controls without zinc (90%). With 1.0 mM of zinc, the viability diminished (p < 0.005) to 80% in U-937 and to 50% in monocytes and bone marrow cells; the number of cells increased in the three lines, but there was no differentiation. We conclude that the effects observed with different doses of zinc vary not only among the different species but also according to the time the cells were exposed to the metal. The same doses of zinc can have either a stimulatory or an inhibitory effect.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to QFB Luz María Ramírez for technical assistance and Maggie Brunner for critical review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coordinación de Educación Médica Continua, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, 3er piso, Edificio B, UNAM, Delegación Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico

    G. B. Vega-Robledo & A. Polo-Jiménez

  2. Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, 06720, Mexico

    M. E. Morales-Martínez, S. Rojas-Dotor & G. Rico-Rosillo

Authors
  1. G. B. Vega-Robledo
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  2. A. Polo-Jiménez
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  3. M. E. Morales-Martínez
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  4. S. Rojas-Dotor
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  5. G. Rico-Rosillo
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Correspondence to G. B. Vega-Robledo.

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Vega-Robledo, G.B., Polo-Jiménez, A., Morales-Martínez, M.E. et al. Effect of Zinc Upon Human and Murine Cell Viability and Differentiation. Biol Trace Elem Res 120, 133–140 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-007-8010-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-007-8010-x

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