Relationship between metallothionine and zinc in the protection against DNA damage in zinc-treated Long-Evans Cinnamon rat liver

Published: 29 June 2009
Abstract Views: 419
PDF: 239
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

The aims of the work presented here were to determine the effect of long term treatment with zinc (Zn) on both total metallothionine (MT) and, in particular, oxidized MT (MTox) concentrations in Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rat liver. We also evaluated semi-quantitatively the cell death index using TUNEL assay as it is a useful method to localize the nuclear fragmentation occurring in oxidative stress conditions. The results demonstrate there were no statistically different MT concentrations between Zn-treated and untreated rats, whereas the Zn treatment was very effective in reducing the percentage of oxidized MT (MTox). MTox is not able to bind metals, so it does not perform its “scavenger” action against copper (Cu) accumulation in LEC rats. The intensity and quantity of fluorescent staining observed in untreated rat sections decreased compared to the treated ones. These findings suggest that in LEC rats one of zinc's roles is to protect from oxidative stress, however, its mode of action remains partially unknown: a hypothesis is competition for Cu binding sites. A new insight is that Zn induced MT can protect efficiently against DNA damage by free radicals.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

How to Cite

Santon, A., Albergoni, V., Santovito, G., Sturniolo, G., & Irato, P. (2009). Relationship between metallothionine and zinc in the protection against DNA damage in zinc-treated Long-Evans Cinnamon rat liver. European Journal of Histochemistry, 48(3), 317–320. https://doi.org/10.4081/902