What Do Zinc Ionophores Do in The Human Body?

Cationic Zinc: What Is It? Numerous zinc supplementation trials have shown that increasing zinc intake can realize a wide range of health benefits where diets are inadequate for this micronutrient. Zinc ionophores are chemical species that reversibly bind ions. Zinc ionophores lead to a rapid increase in intracellular zinc levels.

Zinc is a mineral consumed in the small intestine by a carrier-mediated mechanism. Once absorbed, it becomes Cationic Zinc in the body's fluids.

Zinc is an essential component of a large number (>300) of enzymes participating in the synthesis and degradation of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, as well as in the metabolism of other micronutrients. Zinc stabilizes the molecular structure of cellular components and membranes and contributes in this way to the maintenance of cell and organ integrity. Furthermore, zinc has an essential role in polynucleotide transcription and, thus, in the process of genetic expression. Its involvement in such fundamental activities probably accounts for the essentiality of zinc for all life forms.

Cationic Zinc & Disease

Have you ever searched PubMed for information on the relationship between cancer and zinc? Fifteen thousand eight hundred seventy-nine publications should give some understanding that billions have been spent on research and understanding the relationship between Zinc, Biology, and Nature.

Cationic Zinc

Zinc is one of the most essential microelements necessary for normal body functioning. Numerous diseases mark zinc; hence, its properties and behavior in the body have long been studied extensively.

You are wrong if you believe that the zinc levels in your blood provide the entire picture. Plasma zinc has a rapid turnover rate, representing only about 0.l percent of total body zinc content.

All body tissues and fluids need Zinc. Oral zinc supplementation will not solve the problem because the underlying problem is a lack of absorbency.

Dr. Frederic E. Mohs proposed using zinc compositions topically as an anti-skin-cancer agent. In 1933, 23-year-old Frederic E. Mohs was a research assistant assigned to inject different chemicals into cancerous rat tissues to produce specific reactions. Today, the goal of Mohs’ surgery is altogether to remove the tumor with maximum preservation of healthy tissue. It seems like now they have forgotten the Zinc.

Disease Increases Zinc Deficiency

Despite decades of research, no efficacious chemotherapy exists for the treatment of prostate cancer. In all cases of prostate cancer, malignant prostate zinc levels markedly decrease compared to normal/benign prostate. ZIP1 zinc transporter downregulation decreases zinc to prevent its cytotoxic effects. Thus, prostate cancer is a “ZIP1-deficient” malignancy. A zinc ionophore (e.g., Clioquinol) treatment to increase malignant zinc levels is a plausible treatment for prostate cancer.

However, skepticism within the clinical/biomedical research community impedes significant progress leading to such a zinc treatment. This report reviews the clinical and experimental background. It presents new experimental data showing Clioquinol suppression of prostate malignancy, which provides strong support for a zinc ionophore treatment for prostate cancer. The presentation evaluates often-raised opposing issues. These considerations lead to the conclusion that the compelling evidence dictates that a zinc-treatment approach for prostate cancer should be pursued with additional research leading to clinical trials.

Interesting Publication: Division of Urology, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Baltimore, USA

What are Zinc Ionophores?

Zinc ionophore is a chemical species that reversibly binds ions, and many antibiotics, particularly macrolide antibiotics, are ionophores. Zinc ionophores lead to a rapid increase in intracellular zinc levels, which in recent studies have shown these results.

• Zinc ionophores represent a powerful chemotype to induce cell death in cancer cells concurrently with a disruption in zinc homeostasis.
• Antiviral Activity of the Zinc Ionophores Pyrithione and Hinokitiol against Picornavirus Infections
• Zinc possesses anti‑inflammatory activity by inhibiting NF‑κB signaling and modulation of regulatory T‑cell functions that may limit the cytokine storm in COVID‑19.
• Zinc status is also tightly associated with risk factors for severe COVID-19 including aging, immune deficiency, obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis since these are known risk groups for zinc deficiency.

One of the most common trace-metal imbalances involves elevated copper and depressed zinc levels. The ratio of copper to zinc is clinically more important than the concentration of either of these trace metals. Cu/ZnSOD1 is one of the three human superoxide dismutases identified and characterized in mammals.

When the imbalance of zinc and copper diminishes, superoxide dismutase causes damage to cell membranes caused by the increase of superoxide radicals. Learn more about Superoxide Dismutase.