ZINC DEPRIVATION AND TERATOGENESIS

在这项研究计划的头六年里， 全面的定性和定量表征 边际缺锌对儿童生长发育的影响 非人灵长类动物已经实现了。我们现在能够专注于 关于这些效应的机制的假说。 继续研究怀孕和发育中的猴子将是 针对这一问题的三个重要问题：(1) 确定最脆弱的发育期；(2) 血浆金属硫蛋白(MT)快速、准确检测的评价 锌营养状况指标；(3)边际锌代谢相互作用 用药物和补充剂剥夺。这些目标是 整合成两个实验，将在五年内完成 句号。这些研究的结果是，有强有力的科学基础 认识、预防和治疗本病的不良健康影响 将提供重要的微量元素。这项工作很重要 因为缺锌会在 怀孕和儿童发育。然而，几乎没有 涉及的具体因素和机制的定义 锌对母婴健康的影响，包括 生长、发育、行为或免疫功能。虽然 缺锌的母亲可以被认为是“营养不良”。 风险“对于正常的胎儿发育来说，尚不清楚为什么 锌与锌的个体差异及其相互作用程度 其他因素可能导致了这个问题。最后，等离子体 锌仍然是一个相对较差的锌营养指标， 更好的锌状态标志，即适合快速检测的指标 估计需要确定。具体来说，我们将 妊娠期锌吸收代谢特点的研究 并确定锌的相互作用可能有助于 在营养上处于危险状态；这包括详细的动态和 锌与铁、锌与丙戊酸的代谢相互作用。 我们将制备抗血浆mt的抗体，并监测喂养的动物。 控制和轻微缺锌的日粮 其他几个锌状态的潜在标志物可以确定 用于快速评估锌状态的适当和有效的标志物。 我们认为，需要新的诊断工具来确定 营养高危母亲自临床观察和 在这方面，血浆锌水平已被证明是不够的。我们 相信，在这项研究完成后，我们将拥有 对锌的作用机制有更好的认识 相互作用，通过我们对锌代谢的深入研究 在体外和组织水平上。

During the first six years of this research program, a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative characterization of the effects of marginal zinc deficiency on the developing nonhuman primate has been achieved. We are now able to focus on hypotheses concerning the mechanisms of these effects. Continuing work with pregnant and developing monkeys will be directed at three issues important to this problem: (1) identification of the most vulnerable developmental periods; (2) evaluation of plasma metallothionein (mt) as a rapid and accurate index of zinc status; (3) metabolic interactions of marginal zinc deprivation with drugs and supplements. These goals are integrated into two experiments to be completed, over a five year period. As a result of these studies, a strong scientific basis for recognizing, preventing and treating adverse health effects of this important trace element will be provided. This work is important because zinc deprivation can have significant effects during pregnancy and child development. However, there are few definitions of specific factors and mechanisms involved in the influences of zinc on maternal and child health, including aspects of growth, development, behavior or immune function. Although zinc deficient mothers may be considered to be "nutritionally-at- risk" for normal fetal development, it is unclear why there are individual differences and to what extent interactions of zinc with other factors might contribute to this problem. Finally, plasma zinc remains a reltively poor indicator of zinc nutriture and better markers for zinc status, i.e., indices suitable for rapid estimation need to be determined. Specifically, we will characterize zinc absorptiona and metabolism in pregnant monkeys and identify zinc interactions which might contribute to being "nutritionally-at-risk"; this includes detailed kinetic and metabolic interactions of zinc and iron and zinc and valproic acid. We will prepare antibodies to plasma mt and monitor animals fed control and marginally zinc deficient diets for mt as well as several other potential markers of zinc status to determine an appropriate and valid marker for a rapid estimation of zinc status. We believe that new diagnostic tools are needed to identify nutritionally-at-risk mothers since clinical observations and plasma zinc levels have proven inadequate in this regard. We believe, following completion of this study, that we will have much better concepts of the mechanisms involved in zinc interactions, through our intensive studies of zinc metabolism in vitro and at the tissue level.