Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and zinc deficiency

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, many researchers have demonstrated the critical role of zinc (Zn), a group IIb metal, in diverse physiological processes, such as growth and development, maintenance and priming of the immune system, and tissue repair. Zinc nutritional importance has been known for a long time, but in the last decades, its importance in immune modulation has arisen. This chapter aims at describing the mechanisms involved in the regulation of zinc homeostasis and their effects on the immune response focusing on those that are implicated in the inflammation. Zinc functions as a modulator of the immune response through its availability, which is tightly regulated by several transporters and regulators. When this mechanism is disturbed, zinc availability is reduced, altering survival, proliferation, and differentiation of the cells of different organs and, in particular, cells of the immune system. Zinc deficiency causes a decrease in innate and adaptive immunity. In addition, during zinc deficiency, the production of proinflammatory cytokines increases, influencing the outcome of a large number of inflammatory diseases or worsening other pathologies.