Placental transfer of some trace elements in rats

In the present investigation the placental transfer of zinc and manganese have been studied in the white rats. Bithel’ zinc or manganese was omitted from thesalt mixture of the purified diet given to the pregnant rats for different periods during gestation. After part-urition lactating druns were kept on the same deficient diet.The effect of the element deficiency on the pregn- ant rats, nuc.b e r and weight of foeti, number of absorbedfoeti, parturition behaviour, n~1ber and weight of pups,nursing behaviour, lactating dams and suckling pupshave been compared with littermates receiving the complete purified diet .\Lnz.yma t Lc activity of GO’lI, GPT, LDH, CPK, and Alk. ph. and phosphorus level in serum and ammniotic fluidwere estimated.Chemical analysis of mother and foetal internal org- ans for estimation of zinc and manganese levels have beenassessed under all deficiency conditions.The results are summarized as followsI. Keeping rats on zinc deficient diet (purified diet containing J ppITi Zn) compared with littermates on complete