Mocchegiani Eugenio, et al.
Age, 2013
Abstract
The diet in the elderly does not provide a sufficient level of nutrients needed to maintain an adequate healthy status leading to micronutrient deficiencies and impaired immune response with subsequent development of degenerative diseases. Nutrient "zinc" is a relevant micronutrient involved in maintaining a good integrity of many body homeostatic mechanisms, including immune efficiency, owing to its requirement for the biological activity of many enzymes, proteins and for cellular proliferation and genomic stability. Old people aged 60-65 years and older have zinc intakes below 50% of the recommended daily allowance on a given day. Many causes can be involved: among them, altered intestinal absorption, inadequate mastication, psychosocial factors, drugs interactions, altered subcellular processes (zinc transporters (Zip and ZnT family), metallothioneins, divalent metal transporter-1). Zinc supplementation may remodel the immune alterations in elderly leading to healthy ageing. Several zinc trials have been carried out with contradictory data, perhaps due to incorrect choice of an effective zinc supplementation in old subjects showing subsequent zinc toxic effects on immunity. Old subjects with specific IL-6 polymorphism (GG allele carriers; named C-) are more prone for zinc supplementation than the entire old population, in whom correct dietary habits with foods containing zinc (Mediterranean diet) may be sufficient in restoring zinc deficiency and impaired immune response. We summarise the main causes of low zinc dietary intake in elderly reporting an update on the impact of zinc supplementation upon the immune response also on the basis of individual IL-6 polymorphism.
Figures
Zinc transporter pathways, zinc carrier (DMT1) and MT in a polarised enterocyte. Zip4 and Zip5 are involved in zinc influx and efflux, respectively. ZnT5 in both influx and efflux. ZnT1 in zinc efflux. ZnT6 is involved in various tasks: zinc efflux and zinc storage in specific vesicles named “zincosomes” and in Golgi apparatus. ZnT2 and ZnT4 in zinc storage in zincosomes. ZnT7 in zinc storage in Golgi apparatus. DMT1 is involved in zinc uptake. MT are involved in intracellular zinc homeostasis for zinc signalling. Zip4, ZnT5, and DMT1 are present in apical membrane, whereas ZnT1 and Zip5 in basolateral membrane. The specific localization of Zip14, involved in zinc and iron uptake in enterocyte, is still unclear and remains to be established as well as the specific function of Zip7, Zip9 and Zip13 expressed in the Golgi apparatus of enterocyte (question marks)
Potential effect of Zn supplementation in preventing risk (minus sign) of degenerative age-related diseases in the elderly in comparison to zinc deficiency and risk of degenerative diseases (plus sign)| PMID: | 22222917 |
|---|---|
| PMCID (Free PMC Article): | PMC3636409 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11357-011-9377-3 |
| Category: | Immune |
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