scholarly journals The Role of Zinc in Antiviral Immunity

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 696-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A Read ◽  
Stephanie Obeid ◽  
Chantelle Ahlenstiel ◽  
Golo Ahlenstiel

ABSTRACTZinc is an essential trace element that is crucial for growth, development, and the maintenance of immune function. Its influence reaches all organs and cell types, representing an integral component of approximately 10% of the human proteome, and encompassing hundreds of key enzymes and transcription factors. Zinc deficiency is strikingly common, affecting up to a quarter of the population in developing countries, but also affecting distinct populations in the developed world as a result of lifestyle, age, and disease-mediated factors. Consequently, zinc status is a critical factor that can influence antiviral immunity, particularly as zinc-deficient populations are often most at risk of acquiring viral infections such as HIV or hepatitis C virus. This review summarizes current basic science and clinical evidence examining zinc as a direct antiviral, as well as a stimulant of antiviral immunity. An abundance of evidence has accumulated over the past 50 y to demonstrate the antiviral activity of zinc against a variety of viruses, and via numerous mechanisms. The therapeutic use of zinc for viral infections such as herpes simplex virus and the common cold has stemmed from these findings; however, there remains much to be learned regarding the antiviral mechanisms and clinical benefit of zinc supplementation as a preventative and therapeutic treatment for viral infections.

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 588-596
Author(s):  
Haibao Zhang ◽  
Guodong Zhu

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the common urologic neoplasms, and its incidence has been increasing over the past several decades; however, its pathogenesis is still unknown up to now. Recent studies have found that in addition to tumor cells, other cells in the tumor microenvironment also affect the biological behavior of the tumor. Among them, macrophages exist in a large amount in tumor microenvironment, and they are generally considered to play a key role in promoting tumorigenesis. Therefore, we summarized the recent researches on macrophage in the invasiveness and progression of RCC in latest years, and we also introduced and discussed many studies about macrophage in RCC to promote angiogenesis by changing tumor microenvironment and inhibit immune response in order to activate tumor progression. Moreover, macrophage interactes with various cytokines to promote tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis, and it also promotes tumor stem cell formation and induces drug resistance in the progression of RCC. The highlight of this review is to make a summary of the roles of macrophage in the invasion and progression of RCC; at the same time to raise some potential and possible targets for future RCC therapy.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1468
Author(s):  
Yashika S. Kamte ◽  
Manisha N. Chandwani ◽  
Alexa C. Michaels ◽  
Lauren A. O’Donnell

Viruses that infect the central nervous system (CNS) are associated with developmental abnormalities as well as neuropsychiatric and degenerative conditions. Many of these viruses such as Zika virus (ZIKV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV) demonstrate tropism for neural stem cells (NSCs). NSCs are the multipotent progenitor cells of the brain that have the ability to form neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Viral infections often alter the function of NSCs, with profound impacts on the growth and repair of the brain. There are a wide spectrum of effects on NSCs, which differ by the type of virus, the model system, the cell types studied, and the age of the host. Thus, it is a challenge to predict and define the consequences of interactions between viruses and NSCs. The purpose of this review is to dissect the mechanisms by which viruses can affect survival, proliferation, and differentiation of NSCs. This review also sheds light on the contribution of key antiviral cytokines in the impairment of NSC activity during a viral infection, revealing a complex interplay between NSCs, viruses, and the immune system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2358
Author(s):  
Maria Grazia Giovannini ◽  
Daniele Lana ◽  
Chiara Traini ◽  
Maria Giuliana Vannucchi

The microbiota–gut system can be thought of as a single unit that interacts with the brain via the “two-way” microbiota–gut–brain axis. Through this axis, a constant interplay mediated by the several products originating from the microbiota guarantees the physiological development and shaping of the gut and the brain. In the present review will be described the modalities through which the microbiota and gut control each other, and the main microbiota products conditioning both local and brain homeostasis. Much evidence has accumulated over the past decade in favor of a significant association between dysbiosis, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Presently, the pathogenetic mechanisms triggered by molecules produced by the altered microbiota, also responsible for the onset and evolution of Alzheimer disease, will be described. Our attention will be focused on the role of astrocytes and microglia. Numerous studies have progressively demonstrated how these glial cells are important to ensure an adequate environment for neuronal activity in healthy conditions. Furthermore, it is becoming evident how both cell types can mediate the onset of neuroinflammation and lead to neurodegeneration when subjected to pathological stimuli. Based on this information, the role of the major microbiota products in shifting the activation profiles of astrocytes and microglia from a healthy to a diseased state will be discussed, focusing on Alzheimer disease pathogenesis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kupke ◽  
Sabrina Becker ◽  
Konstantin Wewetzer ◽  
Barbara Ahlemeyer ◽  
Markus Eickmann ◽  
...  

Mammalian Bornavirus (BoDV-1) typically causes a fatal neurologic disorder in horses and sheep, and was recently shown to cause fatal encephalitis in humans with and without transplant reception. It has been suggested that BoDV-1 enters the central nervous system (CNS) via the olfactory pathway. However, (I) susceptible cell types that replicate the virus for successful spread, and (II) the role of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), remained unclear. To address this, we studied the intranasal infection of adult rats with BoDV-1 in vivo and in vitro, using olfactory mucosal (OM) cell cultures and the cultures of purified OECs. Strikingly, in vitro and in vivo, viral antigen and mRNA were present from four days post infection (dpi) onwards in the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), but also in all other cell types of the OM, and constantly in the OECs. In contrast, in vivo, BoDV-1 genomic RNA was only detectable in adult and juvenile ORNs, nerve fibers, and in OECs from 7 dpi on. In vitro, the rate of infection of OECs was significantly higher than that of the OM cells, pointing to a crucial role of OECs for infection via the olfactory pathway. Thus, this study provides important insights into the transmission of neurotropic viral infections with a zoonotic potential.


Hypertension ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 622-628
Author(s):  
Daniela Carnevale

The nervous system and the immune system share the common ability to exert gatekeeper roles at the interfaces between internal and external environment. Although interaction between these 2 evolutionarily highly conserved systems has been recognized for long time, the investigation into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying their crosstalk has been tackled only in recent decades. Recent work of the past years elucidated how the autonomic nervous system controls the splenic immunity recruited by hypertensive challenges. This review will focus on the neural mechanisms regulating the immune response and the role of this neuroimmune crosstalk in hypertension. In this context, the review highlights the components of the brain-spleen axis with a focus on the neuroimmune interface established in the spleen, where neural signals shape the immune response recruited to target organs of high blood pressure.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 293-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devoshree Chatterjee

The role of GPs in providing maternity care has changed dramatically over the past 30 years, with a trend towards declining involvement; however, recent proposals have suggested greater involvement is required. Nevertheless, the GP remains an important point of contact for postnatal advice, and it is the GP who usually carries out the 6-week postnatal maternal check. This article aims to provide an overview of the common types of problems mothers may encounter in the postnatal period and how they can be appropriately managed. It also provides a guide for the topics to be covered during the 6-week postnatal maternal check.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arooj Fatima ◽  
Muhammad Usman Ali Khan ◽  
Mehkaar Najeeb ◽  
Muhammad Yasoob Ali Khan ◽  
Faiz Ul Haq

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome- related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV- 2), is now considered as an ongoing global pandemic. Common symptoms include pyrexia, cough, dyspnea, fatigue, sore throat, and loss of sense of taste and smell. Complications that can result from more severe insult on lung tissue is pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can further lead to septic shock. It is also not uncommon to find neurological symptoms in patients suffering from COVID-19. The primary treatment for COVID-19 is symptomatic treatment and supportive care. As there is no known vaccination and antiviral therapy for this disease, there is a desperate need to find an alternative to control and stop the spread of disease. Maintaining adequate micronutrient balance might enhance the immunity and protect from viral infections as well. Vitamin C and zinc helps in improving symptoms and shortening the duration of the common cold. Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) possesses pleiotropic physiological activity. High dose Vitamin C has shown to be effective against the common flu, rhinovirus, avian virus, chikungunya, Zika, ARDS, and influenza, and there is evidence that supports the protective effect of high dose IV vitamin C during sepsis-induced ARDS due to COVID-19. Zinc has a profound impact on the replication of viruses. Increasing intracellular zinc concentration along with pyrithione (zinc ionophore) has been shown to impair the replication of several RNA viruses efficiently, including poliovirus, influenza virus and several picornaviruses. A combination of zinc and can also inhibit the replication of SARS-coronavirus in cell culture.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haozhe Yu ◽  
Qicong Wang ◽  
Wenyu Wu ◽  
Weizhen Zeng ◽  
Yun Feng

Melatonin plays a critical role in the pathophysiological process including circadian rhythm, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. It can be synthesized in ocular tissues, and its receptors are also found in the eye, triggering more investigations concentrated on the role of melatonin in the eye. In the past decades, the protective and therapeutic potentials of melatonin for ocular diseases have been widely revealed in animal models. Herein, we construct a knowledge map of melatonin in treating ocular diseases through bibliometric analysis and review its current understanding and clinical evidence. The overall field could be divided into twelve topics through keywords co-occurrence analysis, in which the glaucoma, myopia, and retinal diseases were of greatest research interests according to the keywords burst detection. The existing clinical trials of melatonin in ocular diseases mainly focused on the glaucoma, and more research should be promoted, especially for various diseases and drug administration. We also discuss its bioavailability and further research topics including developing melatonin sensors for personalized medication, acting as stem cell therapy assistant drug, and consuming food-derived melatonin for facilitating its clinical transformation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 564 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-28
Author(s):  
Maciej Cesarski

The aim of the article is to indicate the personal and institutional reasons for IGS’s pursuit of housing and settlement issues in the period 1920–2020. The facts presented in the article prove the important role of these premises in the activities of IGS. They indicate two distinct trends in housing and settlement research, often manifested in the achievements of the same researchers. The first is the „photographic” trend based on the method of induction, deciphering the housing and settlement issue with surveys of the questionnaire and memoirs, which constitute an important element of investigations into the living conditions of selected groups of the population. The second – the „process-structural” trend that tries to look in a more deductive and reductive way, confronting the past with scientific ideas about an unrecognizable future, especially the more distant one. An example of the possibilities inherent in the processes of convergence of the „photographic” and „process-structural” trends are studies of the housing situation of seniors extended to the problems of more distant in terms of spatial availability of infrastructure elements and the settlement structure that define the inhabited space. This requires further research with the common denominator of intergenerational justice


Author(s):  
Zeyad Tareq HAMMOODI

The Corona epidemic is a wide group of viruses that include viruses that can cause a group of illnesses in humans, ranging from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome, as there is no definitive and specific treatment for the epidemic. The medicines used are helpful and supportive, and they mostly aim to reduce the patient’s temperature with the use of pulmonary resuscitation devices, as the body’s resistance depends on autoimmunity, as it is the main factor in preventing this epidemic, and here we must know the role of medical and forensic scholars in preventing and treating With what appears from this epidemic and other epidemics, we do not know when and how they will appear to the world. The emergence of this disease is an extension of several diseases before it and the so-called (contemporary diseases), which are contagious communicable diseases, including bird flonza disease, swine flonza, sass and AIDS, mad cow disease, Ebola, human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus, yellow fever, and many others These diseases are epidemic.


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