Micro Minerals Research
Since Micro Minerals have a generous amount of naturally occurring silicon.
The following studies are of interest.
Published Studies and References
Silicon deprivation decreases collagen formation in wounds and bone, and ornithine transaminase enzyme activity in liver.
Seaborn CD, Nielsen FH.
University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, USA.
We have shown that silicon (Si) deprivation decreases the collagen concentration in bone of 9-wk-old rats. Finding that Si deprivation also affects collagen at different stages in bone development, collagen-forming enzymes, or collagen deposition in other tissues would have
implications that Si is important for both wound healing and bone formation. Therefore, 42 rats in experiment 1 and 24 rats in experiment 2 were fed a basal diet containing 2 or 2.6 micro Si/g, respectively, based on ground corn and casein, and supplemented with either 0 or
10 microg Si/g as sodium meta silicate. At 3 wk, the femur was removed from 18 of the 42 rats in experiment 1 for hydroxyproline analysis. A polyvinyl sponge was implanted beneath the skin of the upper back of each of the 24 remaining rats. Sixteen hours before termination and 2 wk after the sponge had been implanted, each rat was given an oral dose of 14C-proline (1.8 microCi/100 g body wt). The total amount of hydroxyproline was significantly lower in the tibia and sponges taken from Si-deficient animals than Si-supplemented rats. The disintegrations per minute of 14C-proline were significantly higher in sponge extracts from Si- deficient rats than Si-
supplemented rats. Additional evidence of aberrations in proline metabolism with Si deprivation was that liver ornithine aminotransferase was significantly decreased in Si-deprived animals in experiment 2. Findings of an increased accumulation of 14C-proline and decreased total hydroxyproline in implanted sponges and decreased activity of a key enzyme in proline synthesis (liver ornithine aminotransferase) in Si-deprived animals indicates an aberration in the formation of collagen from proline in sites other than bone that is corrected by Si. This suggests that Si is a nutrient of concern in wound healing as well as bone formation.
PMID: 12462748 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Dietary silicon and arginine affect mineral element composition of rat femur and vertebra.
Seaborn CD, Nielsen FH.
University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, USA.
Both arginine and silicon affect collagen formation and bone mineralization. Thus, an experiment was designed to determine if dietary arginine would alter the effect of dietary silicon on bone mineralization and vice versa. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to groups of 12 in a 2 x 2 factorially arranged experiment. Supplemented to a ground corn/casein basal diet containing 2.3 microg Si/g and adequate arginine were silicon as sodium metasilicate at 0 or 35 microg/g diet and arginine at 0 or 5 mg/g diet. The rats were fed ad libitum deionized water and their respective diets for 8 wk. Body weight, liver weight/body weight ratio, and plasma silicon were decreased, and plasma alkaline phosphatase activity was increased by silicon deprivation. Silicon deprivation also decreased femoral calcium, copper, potassium, and zinc concentrations, but increased the femoral manganese concentration. Arginine supplementation decreased femoral molybdenum concentration but increased the femoral manganese concentration. Vertebral concentrations of phosphorus, sodium, potassium, copper, manganese, and zinc were decreased by silicon deprivation. Arginine supplementation increased vertebral concentrations of sodium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and iron. The arginine effects were more marked in the
silicon-deprived animals, especially in the vertebra. Germanium concentrations of the femur and vertebra were affected by an interaction between silicon and arginine; the concentrations were decreased by silicon deprivation in those animals not fed supplemental arginine. The change in germanium is consistent with a previous finding by us suggesting that this element may be physiologically important, especially as related to bone DNA concentrations. The femoral and vertebral mineral findings support the contention that silicon has a physiological role in bone formation and that arginine intake can affect that role. PMID: 12462747 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
The action of excessive, inorganic silicon (Si) on the mineral metabolism of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg).
Najda J, Gminski J, Drozdz M, Danch A.
Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Silesian Medical Academy, Katowice, Poland.
The influence of silicon treatment on the levels of calcium and magnesium in blood serum and tissues was studied in rats. The concentrations of both elements were estimated in samples of sera and tissues of rats receiving per os a soluble, inorganic silicon compound--sodium metasilicate nonahydrate (Na2SiO3.9H2O (REACHIM, USSR)), dissolved in the animals' drinking water. A decrease of magnesium concentration in serum was observed with accompanying elevation of registered calcemia. Moreover, a reduction of tissue calcium levels was found with a simultaneous increase of magnesium tissue pool. The results provide evidence for silicon involvement in mineral metabolism. It could result in a modification of pathological processes concerning bone tissue.
PMID: 7688524 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
References
1. Rico H, Gallego-Lago JL, Hernandez ER, et al. Effect of silicon supplement on osteopenia induced by ovariectomy in rats. Calcif Tissue
Int 2000;66:53-5.
2. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper,
Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002. Available
at: www.nap.edu/books/0309072794/html/.
3. Jugdaohsingh R, Anderson SH, Tucker KL, et al. Dietary silicon intake and absorption. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:887-93.
4. Ichiyanagi O, Sasagawa I, Adachi Y, et al. Silica urolithiasis without magnesium trisilicate intake. Urol Int 1998;61:39-42.
5. Levison DA, Crocker PR, Banim S, Wallace DM. Silica stones in the urinary bladder. Lancet 1982;1:704-5.
6. Lee MH, Lee YH, Hsu TH, et al. Silica stone--development due to long time oral trisilicate intake. Scand J Urol Nephrol 1993;27:267-9.
7. Jugdaohsingh R, Tucker KL, Qiao N, et al. Dietary silicon intake is positively associated with bone mineral density in men and
premenopausal women women of the Framingham Offspring cohort. J Bone Miner Res 2004;19:297-307.
Articles of interest:
Allen, M. J., W. E. Hoffmann, D. C. Richardson, and G. J. Breur. 1998. Serum markers of bone metabolism in dogs. Am. J. Vet. Res. 59
(3):250-254.
Baucus, K. L., S. L. Ralston, G. A. Rich, and E. L. Squires. 1989. The effect of copper and zinc supplementation on mineral content of
mares’ milk. Equine Vet. Sci. 9(4):206-209.
Black, A., S. L. Ralston, S. A. Shapses, L. Suslak-Brown, and P. A. Schoknecht. 1997. Skeletal growth patterns in Standardbred foals
from birth to 1 year. Proc.15th ENPS, Fort Worth, TX, May 28-31. p. 326-327.
Black, A., P. A. Schoknecht, S. L. Ralston, and S. A. Shapses. 1999. Diurnal variation and age differences in the biochemical markers of
bone turnover in horses. J. Anim. Sci. 77:75-83.
Burger, E. H., J. Klein-Nulend, and J. P. Veldhuijzen. 1994. Mechanical stress and bone development. In: F. Lyall and A. J. El Haj (Eds.)
Society for Experimental Biology Seminar Series 54: Biomechanics and Cells. pp 187-196. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Robins, S. P., P. Stewart, C. Astbury, and H. A. Bird. 1986. Measurement of the cross linking compound, pyridinoline, in urine as an index
of collagen degradation in joint disease. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 45:969-973.
Van Soest, P. J., M. S. Allen, and M. I. McBurney. 1983. Silicon, chromium, the rare earth elements and the remainder of the periodic
table. Nat. Feed Ingred. Assoc. Nutr. Inst. Program, April 4-7, Chicago, IL
von der Mark, K. 1999. Structure, biosynthesis, and gene regulation of collagens in cartilage and bone. In: (M. J. Seibel, S. P. Robins,
and J. P. Bilezikian, Eds.) Dynamics of Bone and Cartilage Metabolism. pp. 3-29. Academic Press, New York.
Silicon deprivation decreases collagen formation in wounds and bone, and ornithine transaminase enzyme activity in liver.
Seaborn CD, Nielsen FH.
University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, USA.
We have shown that silicon (Si) deprivation decreases the collagen concentration in bone of 9-wk-old rats. Finding that Si deprivation also affects collagen at different stages in bone development, collagen-forming enzymes, or collagen deposition in other tissues would have
implications that Si is important for both wound healing and bone formation. Therefore, 42 rats in experiment 1 and 24 rats in experiment 2 were fed a basal diet containing 2 or 2.6 micro Si/g, respectively, based on ground corn and casein, and supplemented with either 0 or
10 microg Si/g as sodium meta silicate. At 3 wk, the femur was removed from 18 of the 42 rats in experiment 1 for hydroxyproline analysis. A polyvinyl sponge was implanted beneath the skin of the upper back of each of the 24 remaining rats. Sixteen hours before termination and 2 wk after the sponge had been implanted, each rat was given an oral dose of 14C-proline (1.8 microCi/100 g body wt). The total amount of hydroxyproline was significantly lower in the tibia and sponges taken from Si-deficient animals than Si-supplemented rats. The disintegrations per minute of 14C-proline were significantly higher in sponge extracts from Si- deficient rats than Si-
supplemented rats. Additional evidence of aberrations in proline metabolism with Si deprivation was that liver ornithine aminotransferase was significantly decreased in Si-deprived animals in experiment 2. Findings of an increased accumulation of 14C-proline and decreased total hydroxyproline in implanted sponges and decreased activity of a key enzyme in proline synthesis (liver ornithine aminotransferase) in Si-deprived animals indicates an aberration in the formation of collagen from proline in sites other than bone that is corrected by Si. This suggests that Si is a nutrient of concern in wound healing as well as bone formation.
PMID: 12462748 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Dietary silicon and arginine affect mineral element composition of rat femur and vertebra.
Seaborn CD, Nielsen FH.
University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, USA.
Both arginine and silicon affect collagen formation and bone mineralization. Thus, an experiment was designed to determine if dietary arginine would alter the effect of dietary silicon on bone mineralization and vice versa. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to groups of 12 in a 2 x 2 factorially arranged experiment. Supplemented to a ground corn/casein basal diet containing 2.3 microg Si/g and adequate arginine were silicon as sodium metasilicate at 0 or 35 microg/g diet and arginine at 0 or 5 mg/g diet. The rats were fed ad libitum deionized water and their respective diets for 8 wk. Body weight, liver weight/body weight ratio, and plasma silicon were decreased, and plasma alkaline phosphatase activity was increased by silicon deprivation. Silicon deprivation also decreased femoral calcium, copper, potassium, and zinc concentrations, but increased the femoral manganese concentration. Arginine supplementation decreased femoral molybdenum concentration but increased the femoral manganese concentration. Vertebral concentrations of phosphorus, sodium, potassium, copper, manganese, and zinc were decreased by silicon deprivation. Arginine supplementation increased vertebral concentrations of sodium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and iron. The arginine effects were more marked in the
silicon-deprived animals, especially in the vertebra. Germanium concentrations of the femur and vertebra were affected by an interaction between silicon and arginine; the concentrations were decreased by silicon deprivation in those animals not fed supplemental arginine. The change in germanium is consistent with a previous finding by us suggesting that this element may be physiologically important, especially as related to bone DNA concentrations. The femoral and vertebral mineral findings support the contention that silicon has a physiological role in bone formation and that arginine intake can affect that role. PMID: 12462747 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
The action of excessive, inorganic silicon (Si) on the mineral metabolism of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg).
Najda J, Gminski J, Drozdz M, Danch A.
Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Silesian Medical Academy, Katowice, Poland.
The influence of silicon treatment on the levels of calcium and magnesium in blood serum and tissues was studied in rats. The concentrations of both elements were estimated in samples of sera and tissues of rats receiving per os a soluble, inorganic silicon compound--sodium metasilicate nonahydrate (Na2SiO3.9H2O (REACHIM, USSR)), dissolved in the animals' drinking water. A decrease of magnesium concentration in serum was observed with accompanying elevation of registered calcemia. Moreover, a reduction of tissue calcium levels was found with a simultaneous increase of magnesium tissue pool. The results provide evidence for silicon involvement in mineral metabolism. It could result in a modification of pathological processes concerning bone tissue.
PMID: 7688524 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
References
1. Rico H, Gallego-Lago JL, Hernandez ER, et al. Effect of silicon supplement on osteopenia induced by ovariectomy in rats. Calcif Tissue
Int 2000;66:53-5.
2. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper,
Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002. Available
at: www.nap.edu/books/0309072794/html/.
3. Jugdaohsingh R, Anderson SH, Tucker KL, et al. Dietary silicon intake and absorption. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:887-93.
4. Ichiyanagi O, Sasagawa I, Adachi Y, et al. Silica urolithiasis without magnesium trisilicate intake. Urol Int 1998;61:39-42.
5. Levison DA, Crocker PR, Banim S, Wallace DM. Silica stones in the urinary bladder. Lancet 1982;1:704-5.
6. Lee MH, Lee YH, Hsu TH, et al. Silica stone--development due to long time oral trisilicate intake. Scand J Urol Nephrol 1993;27:267-9.
7. Jugdaohsingh R, Tucker KL, Qiao N, et al. Dietary silicon intake is positively associated with bone mineral density in men and
premenopausal women women of the Framingham Offspring cohort. J Bone Miner Res 2004;19:297-307.
Articles of interest:
Allen, M. J., W. E. Hoffmann, D. C. Richardson, and G. J. Breur. 1998. Serum markers of bone metabolism in dogs. Am. J. Vet. Res. 59
(3):250-254.
Baucus, K. L., S. L. Ralston, G. A. Rich, and E. L. Squires. 1989. The effect of copper and zinc supplementation on mineral content of
mares’ milk. Equine Vet. Sci. 9(4):206-209.
Black, A., S. L. Ralston, S. A. Shapses, L. Suslak-Brown, and P. A. Schoknecht. 1997. Skeletal growth patterns in Standardbred foals
from birth to 1 year. Proc.15th ENPS, Fort Worth, TX, May 28-31. p. 326-327.
Black, A., P. A. Schoknecht, S. L. Ralston, and S. A. Shapses. 1999. Diurnal variation and age differences in the biochemical markers of
bone turnover in horses. J. Anim. Sci. 77:75-83.
Burger, E. H., J. Klein-Nulend, and J. P. Veldhuijzen. 1994. Mechanical stress and bone development. In: F. Lyall and A. J. El Haj (Eds.)
Society for Experimental Biology Seminar Series 54: Biomechanics and Cells. pp 187-196. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Robins, S. P., P. Stewart, C. Astbury, and H. A. Bird. 1986. Measurement of the cross linking compound, pyridinoline, in urine as an index
of collagen degradation in joint disease. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 45:969-973.
Van Soest, P. J., M. S. Allen, and M. I. McBurney. 1983. Silicon, chromium, the rare earth elements and the remainder of the periodic
table. Nat. Feed Ingred. Assoc. Nutr. Inst. Program, April 4-7, Chicago, IL
von der Mark, K. 1999. Structure, biosynthesis, and gene regulation of collagens in cartilage and bone. In: (M. J. Seibel, S. P. Robins,
and J. P. Bilezikian, Eds.) Dynamics of Bone and Cartilage Metabolism. pp. 3-29. Academic Press, New York.