The Role of Trace Elements Especially Zinc on Wound Healing

Trace elements or minerals (TEs) especially zinc play a crucial component in many physiological functions of life, including but not limited to: enzyme systems, energy metabolism, and the transport of oxygen. At the cellular level, TEs are integral in maintaining structural integrity in cutaneous cells as well as neutralizing oxidative damage. Zinc is an essential trace element in the human body and its importance in health and disease is appreciated. It serves as a cofactor in numerous transcription factors and enzyme systems including zinc dependent matrix metalloproteinases that augment auto debridement and keratinocyte migration during wound repair. Wound healing is a complex process that is critical in restoring the skin's barrier function. This process can be interrupted by numerous diseases resulting in chronic wounds that represent a major medical burden. Such wounds fail to follow the stages of healing and are often complicated by a proinflammatory milieu attributed to increased proteinases, hypoxia, and bacterial accumulation. The comprehensive treatment of chronic wounds is still regarded as a significant unmet medical need due to the complex symptoms caused by the metabolic disorder of the wound microenvironment. The nutritional importance of trace elements has recently grown rapidly due to better understanding of their vital biological functions. In wound healing the most important trace element is zinc, which probably is one of the most important and interesting inorganic elements related to health sciences.

کلیدواژه ها:

Trace elements ، Zinc ، Wound healing ، Physiological functions ، Enzyme systems ، Energy metabolism ، Oxygen transport ، Cutaneous cells ، Oxidative damage ، Matrix metalloproteinases ، Keratinocyte migration ، Chronic wounds ، Proinflammatory milieu ، Nutritional importance ، Biological functions ، Health sciences