Skip to main content

Zinc may hold key to fighting liver disease


Zinc may hold key to fighting liver disease


Image result for vitamins

New research from the Westmead Institute's Storr Liver Centre in collaboration with the Centre for Virus Research and Kirby Institute has shown that serum zinc may benefit liver disease in a way we never expected.
The study, led by Dr Scott Read and Associate Professor Golo Ahlenstiel, demonstrated that zinc naturally inhibits the inflammatory and antiviral effects of interferon lambda 3 (IFN-λ3), a protein strongly associated with tissue damage in chronic liver disease.
Lead author of the study, Dr Read, said the study provides the first evidence that zinc can act as a potent and specific inhibitor of IFN-λ3 in the context of viral infections such as hepatitis C and influenza.
"We have demonstrated that zinc inhibits numerous facets of the liver's immune response to viruses that may be mediated by IFN-λ3."
"Zinc interferes with IFN-λ3 binding to the interferon lambda receptor, which results in decreased antiviral activity and increased viral replication both in vitro and in vivo.
"Interestingly, zinc also blocks the inflammatory activity of IFN-λ3, which has been strongly linked to accelerated progression to liver cirrhosis in viral and non-viral liver disease.
"Our data suggests that serum zinc levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C are genetically predetermined by the IFN-λ3 polymorphism, confirming the inhibitory role of zinc in vivo.
"The data highlights the potential for zinc to be used as a simple and effective treatment against acute and chronic inflammation in the liver," Dr Read concluded.
Associate Professor Ahlenstiel and his team are now working towards a therapeutic intervention for IFN-λ3-mediated chronic disease.
This research was published online in Nature Communications.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
  1. Scott A. Read, Kate S. O’Connor, Vijay Suppiah, Chantelle L. E. Ahlenstiel, Stephanie Obeid, Kristina M. Cook, Anthony Cunningham, Mark W. Douglas, Philip J. Hogg, David Booth, Jacob George, Golo Ahlenstiel. Zinc is a potent and specific inhibitor of IFN-λ3 signalling. Nature Communications, 2017; 8: 15245 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15245
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Essential Minerals

Minerals: Functions and Sources The body needs many minerals; these are called essential minerals . Essential minerals are sometimes divided up into major minerals (macrominerals) and trace minerals (microminerals).  A balanced diet usually provides all of the essential minerals. The two tables below list minerals, what they do in the body (their functions), and their sources. Major minerals Mineral Function Sources Sodium Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, breads, vegetables, and unprocessed meats Chloride Needed for proper fluid balance, stomach acid Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, meats, breads, and vegetables Potassium Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction Meats, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes Calciu...
5 comments
Read more

Coronavirus Epidemic Update 34: US Cases Surge, Chloroquine & Zinc Treat...

6 comments
Read more

Black cumin (Nigella sativa) and its constituent (thymoquinone): a review on antimicrobial effects

Black cumin ( Nigella sativa ) and its constituent (thymoquinone): a review on antimicrobial effects Fatemeh Forouzanfar , 1   Bibi Sedigheh Fazly Bazzaz , 2  and  Hossein Hosseinzadeh 3, * Go to: Abstract Nigella sativa  seeds have wide therapeutic effects and have been reported to have significant effects against many ailments such as skin diseases, jaundice, gastrointestinal problems, anorexia, conjunctivitis, dyspepsia, rheumatism, diabetes, hypertension, intrinsic hemorrhage, paralysis, amenorrhea, anorexia, asthma, cough, bronchitis, headache, fever, influenza and eczema. Thymoquinone (TQ) is one of the most active constituent and has different beneficial properties. Focus on antimicrobial effects, different extracts of  N. sativa  as well as TQ, have a broad antimicrobial spectrum including Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria, viruses, parasites, schistosoma and fungi. The effectiveness of  N. sativa  seeds and TQ is ...
1 comment
Read more