A study of the zinc toxicity alleviating factor(s) in soybean meal

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Mary Virginia Durkin (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Aden C. Magee

Abstract: The effects of 5, 10, and 20% levels of soybean meal and several fractions of soybean meal on the growth, hemoglobin levels, and liver copper and iron levels of rats fed 0.8% of zinc were determined in an attempt to characterize the factor(s) in soybean meal which alleviates symptoms of zinc toxicity. Fractions of soybean meal were obtained from ashing, methanol or water extractions, and chloroform fractionation of a methanol extract. Each fraction and level of soybean meal was added to a basal diet at the expense of equal amounts of cornstarch and fed to young male rats for four weeks. All levels of soybean meal markedly increased the weight gains of the zinc-fed rats; however, the soybean meal did not prevent the anemia or depressed liver copper and iron levels associated with zinc toxicity. The 20% level of soybean meal offered much greater protection against subnormal growth than the 5 and 10% levels of the meal, but did not completely reverse the toxic effect of zinc on growth. The factor(s) in soybean meal which alleviates the subnormal growth of zinc-fed rats appears to be organic in nature and extractable with methanol or water. An attempt to further characterize the factor(s) in the methanol extract as lipid or non-1ipid in nature was unsuccessful.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1970

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