Immunomodulatory effects of zinc and its impact on COVID-19 severity

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to severe financial, clinical, and societal repercussions and imposed more pressure on the healthcare system of many nations. COVID-19 impacts the immune system by causing a systemic inflammatory reaction, often known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). COVID-19 patients had elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. In this context, many dietary interventions have been utilized to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 by regulating the excessive secretion of cytokines and chemokines. Zinc, an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mineral in food with a well-established role in immunity, is now being employed in several clinical studies against COVID-19. Zn deficiency has been correlated with the increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. As a result, we will summarise zinc's immunomodulatory effects in this article. We will investigate how zinc deficiency might contribute to a poor prognosis of COVID-19 disease by altering the release of particular cytokines.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe consequences on the healthcare systems of many nations, including affecting the immune system's response. Dietary interventions, particularly the supplementation of zinc, have been utilized to regulate the excessive secretion of cytokines and alleviate the adverse effects of COVID-19.