The cognitive impairment induced by zinc deficiency in rats aged 0∼2 months related to BDNF DNA methylation changes in the hippocampus

• Published in: Nutritional neuroscience 2017-10, Vol.20 (9), p.519-525
• Main Authors: Hu, Yan-Dan, Pang, Wei, He, Cong-Cong, Lu, Hao, Liu, Wei, Wang, Zi-Yu, Liu, Yan-Qiang, Huang, Cheng-Yu, Jiang, Yu-Gang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Avoidance Learning; BDNF gene transcription; Behavior, Animal; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - genetics; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - metabolism; Cognitive Dysfunction - etiology; Deficiency Diseases - blood; Deficiency Diseases - metabolism; Deficiency Diseases - physiopathology; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1 - genetics; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1 - metabolism; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - genetics; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - metabolism; DNA Methylation; Epigenesis, Genetic; Exons; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Hippocampus; Hippocampus - metabolism; Lactation; Learning and memory; Male; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Neurons - metabolism; Random Allocation; Rats; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Zinc - blood; Zinc - deficiency; Zinc - metabolism
• ISSN: 1028-415X; 1476-8305
• DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2016.1194554

Objective: This study was carried out to understand the effects of zinc deficiency in rats aged 0∼2 months on learning and memory, and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene methylation status in the hippocampus. Methods: The lactating mother rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 12): zinc-adequate group (ZA: zinc 30 mg/kg diet), zinc-deprived group (ZD: zinc 1 mg/kg diet), and a pair-fed group (PF: zinc 30 mg/kg diet), in which the rats were pair-fed to those in the ZD group. After weaning (on day 23), offspring were fed the same diets as their mothers. After 37 days, the zinc concentrations in the plasma and hippocampus were measured, and the behavioral function of the offspring rats was measured using the passive avoidance performance test. We then assessed the DNA methylation patterns of the exon IX of BDNF by methylation-specific quantitative real-time PCR and the mRNA expression of BDNF in the hippocampus by RT-PCR. Results: Compared with the ZA and PF groups, rats in the ZD group had shorter latency period, lower zinc concentrations in the plasma and hippocampus (P