Investigating the Role of Zinc in Atherosclerosis: A Review

Abstract

Zinc, an indispensable micronutrient for human health, might play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Zinc could be involved in the atherogenic process through interaction with atherogenic cells, such as endothelial cells (ECs), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and immune cells. In addition, zinc also exerts important positive or negative functions in various atherosclerosis-related risk factors, including lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, and blood pressure. Currently, evidence focusing on the relationship between zinc status and atherogenic risk factors has been well established, while the direct interaction between zinc and atherosclerosis has not been fully understood. In this review, we aimed to summarize the association between zinc and atherosclerosis and explore current findings on how zinc and zinc homeostasis-associated proteins act in the atherogenic processes.

Keywords: animal study; atherosclerosis; cardiovascular risk factors; endothelial cells; human study; immune cell; vascular smooth muscle cell; zinc; zinc homeostasis-associated proteins.

Figure 1

The localization of zinc transporters Zrt-, Irt-like proteins (ZIP, red arrow), Zn transporters (ZnT, blue arrow), metallothioneins (MTs), and metal response element-binding transcription factor-1 (MTF-1) in the cell.