Abstract
Ten male Wistar rats were divided into a control group (n=5) and a zinc-deficient group (n=5). They were fed for 3 weeks on a special purified powder feed diet (standard control diet, containing 60 μg/g Zn ; Zn-deficient diet, containing 0.5μg/g Zn) in order to study the effects of Zn deficiency on bones. The rats in the Zn-deficient group showed lower levels of both serum Zn and alkaline phosphatase activity than the control rats. Although no clear morphological differences in the three-dimensional structure or trabecular structure of the femur, mandible, or root bifurcation alveolar bone of the periodontal tissue were observed between the control and Zn-deficient groups, bone density was significantly lower in all bones in the Zn-deficient group. These results suggest that multiple types of bone tissue, including those that form the periodontal tissue, may be affected by Zn-deficiency.
