ROLE OF ZINC IN HUMAN BODY AND APPROACHES TO OVERCOME ITS DEFICIENCY

Abstract

The important role of zinc in living organisms is mediated by its participation in many physiological processes. It is present in all tissues, organs, and secretions of the human body and is one of the most essential and important trace elements for the human body. This trace element is essential for catalytic activity and is a structural component of about 200 metalloenzymes involved in various metabolic pathways (DNA and RNA polymerases, dehydrogenases, carboxypeptidases, phosphatases, superoxide dismutases, alcohol dehydrogenases, pyruvate carboxylases, and many others). The biological role of zinc in the human body is largely realised in the processes of energy metabolism, in the synthesis and stabilisation of nucleic acids and proteins, in maintaining the antioxidant status, cell proliferation and differentiation. According to WHO estimates, about 31% (from 4 to 73%) of the world's population suffer from zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency in the human body can occur for many reasons, including malnutrition, impaired absorption in the intestinal mucosa, inadequate or impaired binding of zinc to albumin, poor absorption of zinc by cells, competition with other metals, a high-fibre diet that impairs zinc absorption, disorders of transferrin synthesis, pancreatic function, diarrhoea, etc. A decrease in the zinc content in the body is accompanied by impaired chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear lymphocytes, natural killer cells, slowing down phagocytosis, and the activity of calprotectin production mechanisms. In order to correct metabolic disorders in various diseases caused by zinc deficiency in the human body, it is proposed to use a mixture for the preparation of an oxygen cocktail enriched with zinc ions, which allows for specific prevention and correction of zinc deficiency states and has an immunomodulatory effect.