{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T08:50:55Z","timestamp":1781686255332,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,2,18]],"date-time":"2009-02-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1234915200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/terms"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Br J Nutr"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The present study investigated the effect of dietary Zn deficiency during sexual maturation on sperm integrity and testis phospholipid fatty acid composition. Male weanling Sprague\u2013Dawley rats were randomised into four dietary groups for 3 weeks: Zn control (ZC; 30\u00a0mg Zn\/kg); Zn marginally deficient (ZMD; 9\u00a0mg Zn\/kg); Zn deficient (ZD; &lt;\u00a01\u00a0mg Zn\/kg); pair fed (PF; 30\u00a0mg Zn\/kg) to the ZD group. Morphology of cauda epididymal sperm and lipid profiles of testis phospholipids were analysed. The rats fed the ZD diet had a lower testis weight (<jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u00a0&lt;\u00a00\u00b702). Seminal vesicles and prostate weight were also lower in the ZD and PF groups. Rats fed the ZD diet, but not the ZMD diet, had 34\u201335\u00a0% more abnormal spermatozoa and 24\u00a0% shorter sperm tail length than the ZC and PF rats (<jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u00a0&lt;\u00a00\u00b7001). Testis cholesterol concentration was higher in the ZD rats compared with the ZC and PF rats (<jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\u00a0&lt;\u00a00\u00b704). Testes were highly enriched with<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>-6 fatty acids by showing<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>-6\u00a0:\u00a0<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>-3 fatty acid ratios of 27:1 in phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 23:1 in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). The dominant fatty acid in testes was docosapentaenoic acid (22\u00a0:\u00a05<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>-6), comprising 15 and 24\u00a0% of PC and PE, respectively. This fatty acid was significantly lower in the ZD rats, whereas 18\u00a0:\u00a02<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>-6 was higher compared with the rats in the other diet groups. These results demonstrate that severe Zn deficiency adversely affects sperm integrity and modulates testis fatty acid composition by interrupting essential fatty acid metabolism. This suggests that Zn deficiency-associated abnormal testicular function is perhaps preceded by altered membrane fatty acid composition, especially of a major fatty acid, 22\u00a0:\u00a05<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>-6.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0007114508159037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2009,2,18]],"date-time":"2009-02-18T08:52:51Z","timestamp":1234947171000},"page":"226-232","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":31,"title":["Relationship between abnormal sperm morphology induced by dietary zinc deficiency and lipid composition in testes of growing rats"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"102","author":[{"given":"Krystal J.","family":"Merrells","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heather","family":"Blewett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jennifer A.","family":"Jamieson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carla G.","family":"Taylor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Miyoung","family":"Suh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2009,2,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jn\/114.11.2073"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0024-3205(01)01252-8"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"497","DOI":"10.1016\/S0021-9258(18)64849-5","article-title":"A simple method for isolation and purification of total lipides from animal tissues","volume":"226","author":"Folch","year":"1957","journal-title":"J Biol Chem"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref21","volume-title":"Principals and Procedures of Statistics","author":"Steel","year":"1990"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref17","year":"2000"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/molehr\/3.9.763"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.plefa.2007.07.001"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1530\/rep.0.1210881"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/01.MPG.0000157199.25923.64"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02535014"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01952862"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0300-483X(01)00373-0"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3109\/01485019708994883"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref5","first-page":"91","article-title":"Effect of zinc deficiency on apoptosis of spermatogenic cells of rat testis","volume":"78","author":"Li","year":"1998","journal-title":"Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi"},{"key":"S0007114508159037_ref6","first-page":"544","article-title":"Experimental zinc deficiency in man. 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