Zinc
Zinc is a chemical element and essential trace metal with broad biological importance.
Zinc is a chemical element and essential trace metal with broad biological importance. In living systems, it serves as a structural, catalytic, and regulatory cofactor for many proteins, and its ionic form, Zn(II), is frequently involved in metal coordination chemistry that influences enzyme activity, protein folding, and signaling. Because of these properties, zinc is relevant to nutrition, metabolism, microbial physiology, and drug design.
In biomedical research, zinc is often studied in two contrasting contexts: deficiency and excess. Zinc deficiency has been associated with impaired physiological function, while elevated zinc can alter cellular processes, including microbial growth, protein aggregation, and metabolic pathways. Recent studies also exploit zinc’s coordination behavior in drug delivery systems, metal-based nanomedicine, and inhibitor design for metalloenzymes such as metallo-β-lactamases and autotaxin. Zinc is therefore both a biologically essential nutrient and a useful chemical target in therapeutic and materials research.
Where the papers sit
13 papers from the last 6 months study zinc directly · updated from PubMed 8 Oct 2026
Study type 1 clinical trial · 3 observational · 2 human data · 7 preclinical
Themes one subject · 1 new direction
Those 13 are all about one subject.
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Zinc and Metal Biology
Zinc and metal biology here spans supplementation, metallotoxicity, amyloid aggregation, antimicrobial complexes, biomaterials, and reproductive or inflammatory disease. Recurring aims are to control redox stress, metal-dependent pathology, infection, and tissue damage through zinc delivery, chelation, ion-coordinated materials, or metal complexes. Findings range from improved sleep and oxidative markers in irritable bowel syndrome to antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects, with several studies remaining preclinical. The set shares metal-centered biomedical applications but offers no single directional consensus.
Zinc is modeled as a catalytic driver of amyloid-β aggregation and therefore as a direct therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease
The mathematical model of metal-ion-mediated amyloid-β aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease treats zinc not merely as a supplemented nutrient, antimicrobial component, measured correlate, or drug-delivery material, but as a catalytic participant in neurotoxic plaque formation. By integrating zinc-assisted aggregation with chelation and direct aggregation inhibition, the study makes zinc sequestration a mechanistically targeted intervention and predicts that it can act synergistically with aggregation inhibitors 42624961Aug.
Papers
The 13 papers from the last 6 months that study zinc directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
Zinc and Metal Biology (13)
- Co-supplementation of zinc and probiotic on oxidative stress markers and sleep quality index in irritable bowel syndrome patients: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. European journal of nutrition · 7 Oct 2026 PMID 42842008
- Metallotoxicity-driven oxidative perturbations in spinal cord injury: Unraveling the pathophysiological nexus between metal-induced redox imbalance and disease severity: A correlational and multivariate analysis. Molecular biology reports · 15 Sept 2026 PMID 42742870
- Metal-Ion-Mediated Amyloid- β Aggregation in Alzheimer's Disease: A Mathematical Model of Chelation and Inhibitory Therapies. Bulletin of mathematical biology · 21 Aug 2026 PMID 42624961
- Intra-Articularly Injectable Ion-Coordinated Bionic Lubricants Improve Rheumatoid Arthritis Recession via Pro-Regenerative Reprogramming of Synovial Macrophages. ACS nano · 22 Jul 2026 PMID 42485205
- Dinuclear Zinc(II) Complexes as Metallo-β-Lactamase Inhibitors with Antibiofilm Activity against MDR Gram-Negative Bacteria. ACS applied bio materials · 22 Jul 2026 PMID 42485075
- Exploring the Antibacterial Potential of Bis-MPA Dendrimers Bearing Cu(II) and Zn(II) Complexes. Biomacromolecules · 7 Jul 2026 PMID 42412991
- Novel polyherbal-mediated ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory evaluation against respiratory pathogens. Bioorganic chemistry · 30 Jun 2026 PMID 42379014
- A zinc-glycyrrhizic acid hydrogel alleviates atopic dermatitis by targeting the TLR4/NLRP12-driven PANoptosis axis. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 29 Jun 2026 PMID 42372824
- Impact of long-term cryopreservation on serum proteome and metallome: Implications for Biobank quality control. PloS one · 25 Jun 2026 PMID 42348576
- The correlation between height and assay parameters in children with short stature. Medicine · 23 May 2026 PMID 42175428
- Association of serum levels of zinc and copper with pathophysiological features of polycystic ovary syndrome. African journal of reproductive health · 15 May 2026 PMID 42137979
- High-throughput screening reveals mechanisms of environmental control of germination in a fungal thermophile. mBio · 20 Apr 2026 PMID 42007705
- Testosterone-Modified Liposomes Loaded with the Zn-Polyphenol Complex for Treatment of Male Infertility. ACS applied materials & interfaces · 15 Apr 2026 PMID 41985533
By study type
Clinical trials (1)
- Co-supplementation of zinc and probiotic on oxidative stress markers and sleep quality index in irritable bowel syndrome patients: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. European journal of nutrition · 7 Oct 2026 PMID 42842008
Observational studies and case reports (3)
- Metallotoxicity-driven oxidative perturbations in spinal cord injury: Unraveling the pathophysiological nexus between metal-induced redox imbalance and disease severity: A correlational and multivariate analysis. Molecular biology reports · 15 Sept 2026 PMID 42742870
- The correlation between height and assay parameters in children with short stature. Medicine · 23 May 2026 PMID 42175428
- Association of serum levels of zinc and copper with pathophysiological features of polycystic ovary syndrome. African journal of reproductive health · 15 May 2026 PMID 42137979
Human data, design not indexed (2)
- Metal-Ion-Mediated Amyloid- β Aggregation in Alzheimer's Disease: A Mathematical Model of Chelation and Inhibitory Therapies. Bulletin of mathematical biology · 21 Aug 2026 PMID 42624961
- Impact of long-term cryopreservation on serum proteome and metallome: Implications for Biobank quality control. PloS one · 25 Jun 2026 PMID 42348576
Preclinical: animal, cell and lab studies (7)
- Intra-Articularly Injectable Ion-Coordinated Bionic Lubricants Improve Rheumatoid Arthritis Recession via Pro-Regenerative Reprogramming of Synovial Macrophages. ACS nano · 22 Jul 2026 PMID 42485205
- Dinuclear Zinc(II) Complexes as Metallo-β-Lactamase Inhibitors with Antibiofilm Activity against MDR Gram-Negative Bacteria. ACS applied bio materials · 22 Jul 2026 PMID 42485075
- Exploring the Antibacterial Potential of Bis-MPA Dendrimers Bearing Cu(II) and Zn(II) Complexes. Biomacromolecules · 7 Jul 2026 PMID 42412991
- Novel polyherbal-mediated ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory evaluation against respiratory pathogens. Bioorganic chemistry · 30 Jun 2026 PMID 42379014
- A zinc-glycyrrhizic acid hydrogel alleviates atopic dermatitis by targeting the TLR4/NLRP12-driven PANoptosis axis. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 29 Jun 2026 PMID 42372824
- High-throughput screening reveals mechanisms of environmental control of germination in a fungal thermophile. mBio · 20 Apr 2026 PMID 42007705
- Testosterone-Modified Liposomes Loaded with the Zn-Polyphenol Complex for Treatment of Male Infertility. ACS applied materials & interfaces · 15 Apr 2026 PMID 41985533
Written from 13 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-06-15. Last written: 2026-09-17 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.