Effect of a zinc-deficient diet on the growth of an IgM-secreting plasmacytoma (TEPC-183).

A diet deficient in zinc resulted in a significant decrease in the number of inbred BALB/c female mice developing transplantable plasmacytoma TEPC-183 compared to pair-fed and ad libitum-fed control mice. The size of the tumor relative to body weight was decreased in the zinc-deficient group. Whereas the uptake of [3H]thymidine into tumor cells did not differ between the groups, the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into tumor cells was significantly reduced in the animals maintained on a zinc-deficient diet.