Effect of preventative zinc supplementation on damage to intestinal integrity caused by escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide administration: Experimental study in an animal model

Zinc is widely used as a therapy for gastrointestinal diseases and as a food supplement. Research has suggested beneficial effects of zinc supplementation; however, there is limited knowledge on the effect of zinc on intestinal integrity. The aim of this study to investigate the effect of zinc on damage to the intestinal integrity induced by treatment with Escherichia coli-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomised into eight experimental groups that consumed either a normal diet or zinc-deficient diet, comprising a control group, LPS group (parenteral LPS administration on day 36), zinc group (parenteral zinc administration for 14 days), and zinc + LPS group (parenteral zinc administration for 14 days with additional LPS on day 36). All groups were sacrificed on day 43, and the ileum was removed for histological analysis. The villi length and number of enterocytes were measured on histological slices of the ileum. The results of this study, in the normal diet group treated with LPS, zinc supplementation improved the villi length (p<0.0001) and enterocyte number (p<0.0001). Zinc supplementation of rats in the deficient diet group treated with LPS showed improved villi length (p<0.0001) and enterocyte number (p<0.0001). In rats fed a normal diet, there were significant differences in villi length and enterocyte number in LPS-treated rats compared to those that were not exposed to LPS. In animals fed a zincdeficient diet and treated with LPS, zinc supplementation improved villi length and enterocyte number.