ZINC
- Category
- Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Pathogen, Blocks Excess Cytokines, Blocks Spike Protein Attachment, Blocks Spike Protein Penetration, Blocks Spike Protein Replication, Inhibits Long-Term Disease, Inhibits Long-Term Side Effects
ZINC
Zinc ( Zn+2) mediates numerous non-specific and specific immunological functions: From normal development and function of cells, including those regulating nonspecific immunity, inter alia, activity of natural killer (NK) cells and neutrophils, and macrophage function; to maintaining expression of tight-junction proteins between lung-lining muco-epithelial cells, blocking entry of pathogens; from increasing cilia length and ciliary beat-frequency in those cells’ mechanical clearance of surface “litter” such as virus particles, and repair of such function in coronavirus-damaged lung cells; to immune response modulation, tamping down on overshooting inflammatory immune responses (thus preventing, for example, high levels of inflammatory mediators such as destructive reactive oxygen and nitrogen species) and normalizing the ratios of diverse immune cell types. Additionally, zinc is strongly implicated in inhibiting viral binding to cell membrane ACE2 receptors used by the coronavirus to latch onto the outside of potential host cells as an essential step preparatory to entering and invading those cells; and for its inhibiting effect on functioning of viral replication enzymes such as retroviral RNA replicase, thus blunting the attack by those virus particles that do gain entrance to host cells.
While zinc is highly recommended for its broad range of anti-(retro) viral benefits, high serum Zn+2 levels carry risks of zinc toxicity and, even at non-toxic elevated levels, competition with and depletion of other micro-nutrients, such as copper. It would, therefore, be desirable to achieve effective intra-cellular zinc levels while keeping serum zinc levels relatively normal (with concomitant monitoring and, where appropriate, judicious adjustment of other micronutrient levels). To that end, we factored into the study 2 Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine formulations zinc ionophores for enhanced transport of zinc into human cells to effect intra-cellular zinc levels that may confer prophylactic and therapeutic benefits against (retro)viral infections. (Margolin, 2021).
A nutrient found throughout your body, helps your immune system and metabolism function. The study data clearly show that a significant number of COVID-19 patients were zinc deficient. These zinc deficient patients developed more complications, and the deficiency was associated with a prolonged hospital stay and increased mortality.
Zinc has been shown to exhibit antiviral properties by inhibition of RNA synthesis, viral replication, DNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase, and viral proteases. However, the literature is unclear regarding SARS-CoV-2 and zinc. Interestingly, hydroxychloroquine, a drug used initially in the management of COVID-19, is an ionophore that transports zinc across the hydrophobic cell membrane. Moreover, evidence specifically suggests that zinc supplements with antiviral drugs containing zinc ionophores precisely target and bind to SARS-CoV-2 preventing its replication within the infected host cells. Intracellularly, zinc binds with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase causing elongation inhibition and decreased template binding of the viral mRNA. (Jothimani, et.el., 2020).
Reference:
(Margolin, 2021). Margolin L, Luchins J, Margolin D, Margolin M, Lefkowitz S. 20-Week Study of Clinical Outcomes of Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Prophylaxis and Treatment. J Evid Based Integr Med. 2021;26:2515690X211026193. doi:10.1177/2515690X211026193 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8264737/
(Jothimani, et.el., 2020). COVID-19: Poor outcomes in patients with zinc deficiency. Retrieved on 03/31/21 at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32920234/