Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted UNRAVELING THE LINK BETWEEN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET, ZINC, AND CADMIUM TOXICITY IN INFLAMMATION REGULATION AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS(Florida International University, 2024-10-29) Mobarki, Huda; Liuzzi, JuanZinc (Zn) possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties essential for regulating the body’s inflammatory response. However, the interplay between diet, heavy metal toxicity, and Zn status in influencing inflammation in children remains poorly understood. This study examined the associations among diet, Zn levels, cadmium (Cd) toxicity, and inflammation, using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and white blood cell count (WBCs) as biomarkers. Data from the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), comprising 3,507 U.S. children aged 2–19 years, were analyzed. Linear regression models assessed the relationships between serum Zn, the Anti-inflammatory Diet Score (ADS), Cd levels, and inflammatory markers. Of the participants, 49.4% were male and 50.6% female. Serum Zn was inversely associated with inflammation (β = -0.236, p = 0.008 for WBCs; β = -0.223, p = 0.035 for hsCRP) after adjusting for covariates. Although ADS showed an inverse relationship with inflammation, the associations were not statistically significant. Blood Cd levels were positively associated with WBCs (β = 0.436, p = 0.008), but not hsCRP. Interestingly, adjusting for Zn reversed the association between Cd and inflammation, though the results were not significant, suggesting Zn may counteract Cd’s pro-inflammatory effects. Complementary studies in C. elegans were conducted to further explore these findings. Survival assays showed that Cd exposure significantly reduced worm survival, whereas co-incubation with equal concentrations of Zn (100 µM) mitigated this toxic effect, as demonstrated by two-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. Overall, this study highlights that serum Zn is a more reliable marker of inflammation than dietary Zn intake in children. Zn appears to partially neutralize Cd's toxic effects, with findings supported by both epidemiological data and experimental models. Maintaining adequate Zn levels may reduce inflammation and counteract Cd toxicity. These results underscore the importance of dietary strategies to enhance Zn status, potentially mitigating the adverse health effects of environmental Cd exposure in children.14 0Item Restricted UNRAVELING THE LINK BETWEEN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET, ZINC, AND CADMIUM TOXICITY IN INFLAMMATION REGULATION AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS(Florida International University, 2024) Mobarki, Huda; Liuzzi, JuanZinc (Zn) is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and is important in regulating the body’s inflammatory response. However, there is limited evidence on how factors such as diet and heavy metal toxicity contribute to inflammation in children, and whether these effects are influenced by Zn status. This study aimed to investigate the links between diet, Zn, and cadmium (Cd) toxicity with inflammation, using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and white blood cell count (WBCs) as biomarkers. Using data from the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 3,507 children in the U.S. aged 2-19 years, we explored the associations between the main exposure variables (Zn, Anti-inflammatory Diet Score (ADS), and Cd) and inflammatory biomarkers. Statistical analysis was conducted using a linear regression model. Of the participants, 49.4% were male and 50.6% female. We observed an inverse relationship between serum Zn and inflammation (β = -.236, p = .008 for WBCs, and β = -.223, p = .035 for hsCRP) after adjusting covariates. Although ADS was inversely associated with inflammation, the relationship was not significant (β = -.006, p = .186 for WBCs, and β = -.003, p = .210 for hsCRP). Significant associations were found between blood Cd and WBCs (β = .436, p = .008), but not for hsCRP. After adjusting for Zn, the relationship between Cd and inflammation became inversely associated (β = -.083 for WBCs, β = -.099 for hsCRP), although these results were not significant, suggesting that Zn may mitigate Cd’s inflammatory effects. To further support the epidemiological findings, we conducted studies using young C. elegans. The experiment consisted of two studies analyzing the effects of Zn and Cd on the survival of the worms using two-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. The results showed that Cd treatment significantly decreased the survival of worms; however, co-incubation with Zn attenuated this effect when the concentration of Cd and Zn were equal (100 µM). In conclusion, the epidemiological data indicate that serum Zn is a more reliable indicator of inflammation in children than Zn intake. The study also suggests zinc status neutralizes Cd's pro-inflammatory effects on inflammatory biomarkers. Additionally, C. elegans model demonstrated that Zn supplementation mitigated Cd-induced toxicity. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining adequate Zn status to mitigate the harmful effects of Cd exposure in children. Therefore, dietary interventions that improve Zn status could potentially reduce inflammation and counteract the adverse impact of Cd exposure on a population level.13 0