Background: One of the most important trace elements is zinc. Proliferating cells throughout the body, and the immune system in particular, rely heavily on zinc. Humans have between 2 to 4 micro grammes of zinc in their bodies, with about 95% of that amount being located within their cells. Although zinc is found in all bodily tissues and fluids, about 57% of the body pool is kept in skeletal muscles, 29% in bone, and 6% in skin.
Objective: Review of literature aboutzinc possible correlation with pneumonia.
Methods: We searched Science Direct, Google Scholar as well as PubMed for relevant articles on Zinc as well as Pneumonia. Only the most recent or thorough study was taken into account between May 2001 and April 2023. The authors also evaluated the value of resources culled from other works in the same genre. Therefore, documents written in languages other than English have been ignored due to a lack of translation funds. Unpublished works, oral presentations, conference abstracts, and dissertations were generally agreed upon not to qualify as scientific research.
Conclusion: Zinc transporters control the levels of zinc in lung tissue, where it binds mostly to metallothionein (MT). Cigarette smoke contains significant concentrations of cadmium (Cd), a hazardous heavy metal and carcinogen, and ZIP8, a zinc transporter, is the primary entry site for Cd. Zinc lowers the cytotoxicity of Cd to alveolar epithelial cells after inhalation of Cd-containing gas by competing with Cd for binding to ZIP8 protein. Preventative zinc supplementation can lessen the likelihood of contracting pneumonia. Zinc supplementation has been shown to reduce the severity and duration of pneumonia.