Forty male weanling rats ( Sprague Dawley strain) were chosen and allotted randomly into four treatments. Diets with various organic zinc and heme iron levels were fed for 35 days respectively. GroupⅠ: the basic diet of low zinc and iron. Group Ⅱ: adding the enokitake zinc to the basic diet in which the organic zinc content was 60 ppm. Group Ⅲ: adding the heme iron to the basic diet in which the heme iron content was 24 ppm. Group Ⅳ: adding the enokitake zinc and heme iron to the basic diet in which the organic zinc and heme iron were 60 ppm, 24ppm respectively. At the end, Hb and the content of serum and hepatic iron in the group Ⅲ, Ⅳ were higher significantly than that in the group Ⅰ, Ⅱ.The body weight, serum zinc, hepatic zinc and femur zinc in group Ⅱ, Ⅳ were higher significantly than that in group Ⅰ,Ⅲ. It suggests that there isn't competitive inhibitory interaction between the organic zinc and the heme iron and combined supplementation of them can prevent from zinc and iron deficiency.

In the present work, the bioavailability of heme iron has been studied by means of the hemoglobin regeneration method with iron-deficient rats model, which was conducted by feeding a low iron basal diet. Anemic rats were then divided into groups to which basal diets with various iron levels (7, 14, 28 ppm Fe) from heme iron (Group 1,2,3) and ferrous sulfate (Group 4, 5, 6, as a reference standard) were subsequently fed respectively.After 5-week regeneration period, the regenerated hemoglobin levels of the rats of corresponding groups were (1) 9.56→12.25, (2) 9.71→12.02, (3)9.51→ 11.09, (4) 9.74→10.81, (5) 9.66→11.24, and (6) 9.67→12.05, thereby the percentage of relative bioavailability (RBA) of heme iron were 117.7%, 124.8%, and 94.9% respectively. This result showed that the lower level of heme iron has a higher RBA. The reason why the effect of high level of heme iron was relatively lower was not fully understood.

One hundred male weanling rats were fed a zinc deficient diet(ZD) containing 7.9ppm Zn for 4 weeks. 56 rats selected as ZD models were divided into 7 groups in random. The rats in 6 test groups were supplied a diet with 40, 60, 80 ppm of zinc enokitake (ZE) and zinc sulfate (ZS) respectively, while the remainder were fed the ZD diet continuously. 5 weeks later, the plasma zinc in 60,80 ppm ZE groups was significantly higher than that in ZS groups in the same doses. The correct rate of learning and memory showed the same trend.Though after that zinc in 60 ppm groups was added to 120 ppm, but the 120 ppm Zn group failed to show greater effect. And the rats in 80ppm ZE group also had the highest level of femur zinc. The RBA of ZE was 207% for plasma and 181% for femur to ZS.The study shows that ZE has a higher biological availability than ZS.

Objective To study the relationship between the asthenia TCM syndromes in embryonic development stops and the level of zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium in serum, and provide thoughts for assisting reproduction and preventing miscarriage. Methods Totally 100 patients of embryonic development stops were selected randomly (6-10 weeks gestation) to be the investigated group, with other 100 cases of live fetus as the control group. The contents of trace elements in serum were detected with atomic absorption spectrometry. Results The levels of trace elements in embryonic development stops patients were generally lower than the control group. The serum iron in patients with spleen deficiency syndrome, and serum zinc and iron in patients with kidney deficiency syndrome were significant lower (P<0.05). Conclusion The contents of trace elements in serum have relationships with asthenia TCM syndromes in embryonic development stops. It should be paid attention to supplementing trace elements during the gestation period. For patients with deficiency of kidney and spleen, the supplement of zinc and iron should be given greater prominence.