Multifunctional role of zinc in human health: an update

Abstract

Zinc is a multipurpose trace element for the human body, as it plays a crucial part in various physiological processes, such as cell growth and development, metabolism, cognitive, reproductive, and immune system function. Its significance in human health is widely acknowledged, and this has led the scientific community towards more research that aims to uncover all of its beneficial properties, especially when compared to other essential metal ions. One notable area where zinc has shown beneficial effects is in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, including cancer. This review aims to explain the involvement of zinc in specific health conditions such as cancer, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease, as well as its impact on the gut microbiome.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; aging; cancer; gut microbiome; immune system; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; zinc.

Table 1. Role of zinc in human body

Figure 1. Phylogenetic tree of the 16S ribosomal RNA of the bacteria in the gut microbiome. The multiple sequence alignment (MUSCLE algorithm) and the Phylogenetic tree generation (Neighbor-joining algorithm) were performed in MEGA (version 11) (Tamura et al., 2021).

Figure 2. A simplified sketch that illustrates oxidative stress, metal ion and amyloid cascade mechanistic hypotheses as serious risk factors in AD. Metal ions promote ROS generation and, as a result, activate mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulation of ROS. Metal ions induce Aβ aggregation by binding to Aβ proteins. Aβ can also exhibit oligomeric transformation to fibrils, activating the mitochondria and generating more ROS. ROS cause damages to biomolecules and proteins in the brain and the AD risk increases. This picture has been adapted from the reference Fasae et al. (2021).

Figure 3. The structural formula of 5-chloro-7-iodo-quinolin-8-ol (CQ) which played a significant role in the development of drugs for AD.