ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Clinical Nutrition
Supplementation of zinc-chelating peptides from Holothuria scabra improve zinc status in the offspring of zinc-deficient rats
Provisionally accepted
Gita Syahputra1
Melva Louisa2*
Nunik Gustini1Dwi Endah Kusumawati3
A'liyatur Rosyidah1Masteria Yunovilsa Putra1Heri Ahmad Sukria4Puspita Eka Wuyung2
Fadilah Fadilah2
HEE JAE LEE5- 1Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional Republik Indonesia, Central Jakarta, Indonesia
- 2Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
- 3Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia
- 4IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
- 5Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon-si, Republic of Korea
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Abstract Introduction Zinc deficiency in children remains a significant health risk, impairing their physical and cognitive maturation. Supplementation with peptide-bound zinc is thought to offer better bioavailability than inorganic zinc salts. Holothuria scabra, commonly referred to as a sea cucumber, contains peptides that may chelate zinc, potentially improving its absorption. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of zinc-chelating peptides from Holothuria scabra (ZCP) supplementation in rat offspring born to zinc-deficient parental rats. Methods Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were fed either a standard zinc diet (40 mg of zinc per kg of feed) or a zinc-deficient diet (4 mg of zinc per kg of feed). Twelve rat offspring born on the standard zinc diet were randomly assigned to receive either vehicle only or ZCP 40 mg/kg BW. Twenty-four offspring born from zinc-deficient maternal rats were divided into groups that received vehicle only, ZCP 4 mg/kg BW, ZCP 40 mg/kg BW, or ZnSO4 40 mg/kg BW for three weeks. At the end of the treatment, serum and intestinal samples were collected and analysed for zinc and metallothionein concentrations, as well as for ZIP2 and ZIP4 mRNA expressions. Results ZCP supplementation significantly increased serum and duodenal zinc levels, metallothionein concentration, and mRNA expressions of ZIP2/ZIP4 in zinc-deficient rat offspring compared to untreated zinc-deficient ones. Supplementation with ZCP at 4 mg/kg BW showed superior or equivalent improvements compared with ZnSO4 in most parameters. Conclusion Zinc chelating peptides from Holothuria scabra improved zinc plasma and duodenal concentrations by enhancing the expression of zinc transporters in zinc-deficient rat offspring. ZCP is a promising alternative to conventional inorganic zinc supplements. Keywords: metallothionein, zinc deficiency, zinc transporter, ZIP2, ZIP4, ZnSO4
Keywords: Metallothionein, zinc deficiency, zinc transporter, ZIP2, ZIP4, ZnSO4
Received: 28 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Syahputra, Louisa, Gustini, Kusumawati, Rosyidah, Putra, Sukria, Wuyung, Fadilah and LEE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Melva Louisa, melva.louisa@gmail.com
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