[Effect of zinc deficiency on femoral pathological and morphological changes in growth-term rats]

This paper aims to clarify the effect of zinc deficiency on the bone's development in children by creating the growth-term rat model of zinc deficiency and to provide the theoretic basis for ways of bringing down the occurrence of hypeoevolutism to children.

Thirty weaning male rats were randomly divided into three groups: zinc adaquation (ZA), zinc deficiency (ZD), paired-fed (PF). After 15 days feeding, take the femurs to measure their length and diameter, to scale their weigh and to have their pathological tissue sections for observation of their pathological changes.

The femurs of ZD group were significantly shorter than those of PF group and ZA group in length [(24.80 +/- 0.42)mm & (26.70 +/- 0.48)mm & (27.90 +/- 0.32)mm, P < 0.01]. The femurs of ZD group were significantly smaller than those of PF group and ZA group in diameter [(2.09 +/- 0.09)mm & (2.70 +/- 0.08)mm & (2.80 +/- 0.08)mm, P < 0.01]. The femurs of ZD group were significantly lighter than those of PF group and ZA group in weight [(0.51 +/- 0.05)g & (0.65 +/- 0.08)g & (0.76 +/- 0.10)g, P < 0.01]. The histomorphology of left femur indicated that chondrocytes in the epiphyseal growth plate of ZD group were generally ill-organized and misshapen with the number of chondrocytes decreased. The trabecular bone in the epiphyseal of ZD group was also ill-organized, scarce and slim. The cavities of marrow in ZD animals were significantly larger than those of PF and ZA. The volume of trabecular bone, the mean trabecular plate density of ZD rats was significantly decreased, but their mean trabecular plate space was significantly increased.

Zinc deficiency results in the morphological and pathological changes and affects the bone's growth and development.