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. 2023 Nov 8;21(1):795.
doi: 10.1186/s12967-023-04643-0.

The role of germanium in diseases: exploring its important biological effects

Xiao Luo #  1   2 , Jiaxue Sun #  1   2 , Deshenyue Kong #  1   2 , Yi Lei  2 , Fangyou Gong  2 , Tong Zhang  2 , Zongwen Shen  2 , Kunhua Wang  3   4 , Huayou Luo  5 , Yu Xu  6   7
Affiliations

The role of germanium in diseases: exploring its important biological effects

Xiao Luo et al. J Transl Med. .

Abstract

With the development of organic germanium and nanotechnology, germanium serves multiple biological functions, and its potential value in biochemistry and medicine has increasingly captured the attention of researchers. In recent years, germanium has gradually gained significance as a material in the field of biomedicine and shows promising application prospects. However, there has been a limited amount of research conducted on the biological effects and mechanisms of germanium, and a systematic evaluation is still lacking. Therefore, the aim of this review is to systematically examine the application of germanium in the field of biomedicine and contribute new insights for future research on the functions and mechanisms of germanium in disease treatment. By conducting a comprehensive search on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases, we systematically reviewed the relevant literature on the relationship between germanium and biomedicine. In this review, we will describe the biological activities of germanium in inflammation, immunity, and antioxidation. Furthermore, we will discuss its role in the treatment of neuroscience and oncology-related conditions. This comprehensive exploration of germanium provides a valuable foundation for the future application of this element in disease intervention, diagnosis, and prevention.

Keywords: Antioxidation; Biological activity; Germanium; Inflammation; Tumor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The regulatory mechanism of germanium’s biological activity
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The flow chart showing the methods and strategies of the review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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