Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions

Zinc, the second most prevalent trace element in the human body, is crucial for numerous physiological processes. It acts as a signaling molecule, modulating cellular pathways, gene expression, and enzyme activity. Zinc plays a vital role in immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and antioxi...

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主要作者: Chu, Xiang-Ping
格式: Online
語言:英语
出版: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2026
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在線閱讀:https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170599
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author Chu, Xiang-Ping
author_browse Chu, Xiang-Ping
author_facet Chu, Xiang-Ping
author_sort Chu, Xiang-Ping
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Zinc, the second most prevalent trace element in the human body, is crucial for numerous physiological processes. It acts as a signaling molecule, modulating cellular pathways, gene expression, and enzyme activity. Zinc plays a vital role in immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and antioxidant defense. In the brain, it regulates neuronal excitation and inhibition by modulating receptors like the glutamate receptor, which is essential for cognitive and motor function. However, zinc's role is complex, as both deficiency and excess can lead to pathological conditions. In neurological disorders, for example, zinc dysregulation contributes to seizures by disrupting the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Excessive intracellular zinc can lead to neurotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death, while low zinc levels impair immune responses and promote inflammation. In cancer, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions, altered zinc homeostasis can exacerbate disease progression. Thus, zinc’s physiological functions are intricately tied to health and disease. Its dual nature—as both protective and potentially harmful—makes it a critical target for research looking to develop therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring the zinc balance in various pathological conditions. Understanding the fine regulation of zinc is key to harnessing its potential for disease prevention and treatment.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1705992026-01-02T16:15:07Z Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions Chu, Xiang-Ping Zinc Physiology Disease Function Regulation Modulation Zinc, the second most prevalent trace element in the human body, is crucial for numerous physiological processes. It acts as a signaling molecule, modulating cellular pathways, gene expression, and enzyme activity. Zinc plays a vital role in immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and antioxidant defense. In the brain, it regulates neuronal excitation and inhibition by modulating receptors like the glutamate receptor, which is essential for cognitive and motor function. However, zinc's role is complex, as both deficiency and excess can lead to pathological conditions. In neurological disorders, for example, zinc dysregulation contributes to seizures by disrupting the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Excessive intracellular zinc can lead to neurotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death, while low zinc levels impair immune responses and promote inflammation. In cancer, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions, altered zinc homeostasis can exacerbate disease progression. Thus, zinc’s physiological functions are intricately tied to health and disease. Its dual nature—as both protective and potentially harmful—makes it a critical target for research looking to develop therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring the zinc balance in various pathological conditions. Understanding the fine regulation of zinc is key to harnessing its potential for disease prevention and treatment. 2026-01-02T16:15:04Z 2026-01-02T16:15:04Z 2025 book 978-3-7258-4143-1 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170599 eng application/octet-stream Attribution 4.0 International https://mdpi.com/books https://mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/11326 MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 10.3390/books978-3-7258-4144-8 10.3390/books978-3-7258-4144-8 46cabcaa-dd94-4bfe-87b4-55023c1b36d0 978-3-7258-4143-1 220 CH open access
spellingShingle Zinc
Physiology
Disease
Function
Regulation
Modulation
Chu, Xiang-Ping
Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions
title Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions
title_full Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions
title_fullStr Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions
title_full_unstemmed Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions
title_short Zinc in Health and Disease Conditions
title_sort zinc in health and disease conditions
topic Zinc
Physiology
Disease
Function
Regulation
Modulation
topic_facet Zinc
Physiology
Disease
Function
Regulation
Modulation
url https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170599
work_keys_str_mv AT chuxiangping zincinhealthanddiseaseconditions