Zinc-Altered Immune Function and Cytokine Production

Nanosized aluminum altered immune function.

On the basis of their uses in jet fuels and munitions, the most likely scenario for aluminum nanoparticle (NP) exposure is inhalation. NPs have been shown to be capable of penetrating deep into the alveolar regions of the lung, and therefore human alveolar macrophages (U937) with human type II pneumocytes (A549) were cultured together and exposed to NPs dispersed in an artificial lung surfactan...

Zinc and immune function: the biological basis of altered resistance to infection.

Zinc is known to play a central role in the immune system, and zinc-deficient persons experience increased susceptibility to a variety of pathogens. The immunologic mechanisms whereby zinc modulates increased susceptibility to infection have been studied for several decades. It is clear that zinc affects multiple aspects of the immune system, from the barrier of the skin to gene regulation with...

BCG modulates neonatal innate immune cytokine production.

Infection causes 0.6 million of the total 2.9 million neonatal deaths every year and devastates the lives of millions more who initially survive; it mercilessly seeks out those weakened by premature delivery and/or low birth weight (LBW), an unfortunate combination too frequently encountered all over the world but particularly so in low-income countries [1]. Reduction of neonatal mortality over...

Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function

After the discovery of zinc deficiency in the 1960s, it soon became clear that zinc is essential for the function of the immune system. Zinc ions are involved in regulating intracellular signaling pathways in innate and adaptive immune cells. Zinc homeostasis is largely controlled via the expression and action of zinc "importers" (ZIP 1-14), zinc "exporters" (ZnT 1-10), and zinc-binding protein...

Altered Immune Function during Long-Term