Clarification of dietary zinc signal transduction through the intestine to the appetite control region of brain.

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Food intake control is a very important factor to keep us healthy condition. We investigated the role of dietary zinc in food intake regulation using rats during early-stage zinc deficiency without decreasing zinc concentrations in plasma and tissues. We found that zinc stimulated food intake after oral but not intraperitoneal administration in Sprague-Dawley rats fed zinc-deficient diet for 3 days. The mRNA expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and orexin in the hypothalamus significantly increased 3 hrs after oral but not intraperitoneal administration of zinc. Orally administered zinc may stimulate food intake via orexigenic peptides coupled to the afferent vagus nerve in rats after short-term treatment with a zinc-deficient diet.