THE EFFECT OF MASSON PINE POLLEN ON ZINC STATUS AND CONCENTRATIONS OFSERUM-LIPIDS IN GROWING RATS FED ZINC-DEFICIENT DIETS

Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats with an average live mass of 42 +/- 4 g were divided into 7 groups of 10 animals each. Group 1 received a c ontrol diet (32.2 mg Zn/kg DM), group 2 a zinc deficient diet (3.4 mg Zn/kg DM) ad libitum. The animals of group 3 were pair fed to group 2 with a diet sufficient in zinc supply (84.9 mg Zn/kg DM). Diets of gro ups 4 and 6 contained 2% or 5% of Masson pine pollen (zinc content 40 mg/kg DM of pollen) and giving zinc contents in the diets of 4.4 and 5 .6 mg/kg DM. Diets of groups 5 and 7 were formulated to have the same zinc content as groups 4 and 6 by addition of zinc sulfate (group 5 an d 7:4.4 and 5.5 mg Zn/kg DM). The groups 4 to 7 were also pair fed to group 2. After 26 experimental days the influence of pollen in state o f deficient zinc supply on performance, zinc status, hematological par ameters and lipid concentrations in serum and lipoproteins were determ ined. Zinc deficient animals (group 2) showed significant differences in all parameters investigated in comparison to the ad libitum control group 1 with adequate zinc supply. Significant differences on perform ance and zinc content, zinc binding capacity and alkaline phosphatase in serum between the groups 2 to 7 with the same level of feed intake depended only on the different zinc supply of the diet. Supplementatio n with pollen had no significant influence on these parameters compare d to the corresponding groups with the same zinc content in form of zi nc sulfate. The hematological parameters were influenced by the level of food intake but not by the zinc content or addition of pollen. The concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids in seru m and lipoproteins were significantly higher in the group 1 than in gr oups 2 to 7. Different zinc supply or addition of pollen in the groups 2 to 7 with same level of feed intake had no influence on lipid conce ntrations in serum.