Zinc: role in immunity, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

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Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Aug 25. [Epub ahead of print]

Zinc: role in immunity, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

Prasad AS.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Wayne

State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Zinc is essential for multiple cellular functions

including immunity. Many investigators have used zinc supplementation in an

attempt to affect the outcome of various diseases. These efforts were aimed at

either supporting immunity by zinc administration or correcting the zinc

dependent immune functions in zinc deficient individuals. RECENT FINDINGS: In

this review, recent findings of zinc supplementation in various diseases have

been presented. Beneficial therapeutic response of zinc supplementation has been

observed in the diarrhea of children, chronic hepatitis C, shigellosis, leprosy,

tuberculosis, pneumonia, acute lower respiratory tract infection, common cold,

and leishmaniasis. Zinc supplementation was effective in decreasing incidences

of infections in the elderly, in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and

decreasing incidences of respiratory tract infections in children. Zinc

supplementation has prevented blindness in 25% of the elderly individuals with

dry type of AMD. Zinc supplementation was effective in decreasing oxidative

stress and generation of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-1beta

in elderly individuals and patients with SCD. SUMMARY: Zinc supplementation has

been successfully used as a therapeutic and preventive agent for many

conditions. Zinc functions as an intracellular signal molecule for immune cells.

PMID: 19710611