Researchers believe Zinc’s ability to support the immune system in fighting off infections may lie in its ability to shut off and kick start immune pathways.
A new study shows the mineral Zinc plays an important role in controlling how the body responds to infections by slowing various immune system pathways. It seems that if there is not enough Zinc available to the body at the time of an infection, inflammation becomes excessive. It is Zinc that stops the action of a protein, ultimately preventing excess inflammation.
The research team specifically studied the activity of Zinc in relation to sepsis, a severe systemic response to infection that could lead to death using cell culture models. Prior to this study, the research team showed Zinc deficient mice developed overwhelming inflammation when challenged with Sepsis compared to mice not deficient in Zinc. In this study using the human immune cells involved in the body’s first line of defense against infection, monocytes, the researchers examined what exactly happens once the immune response begins. They found that when the body recognizes a pathogen, a number of molecules wake up and begin a process that activates the immune response but also leads to the production of a Zinc transporter called ZIP8. This transporter moves quickly to the wall of the cell where it can take Zinc from the bloodstream and move it inside the cell. After the Zinc enters the cell it binds to a different protein which then stops any further activity in the process, actually preventing excessive inflammation.
More studies to confirm these studies are needed.
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