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Zinc in COVID-19

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eMediNexus    14 May 2021

The current management of COVID 19 includes supportive therapy. Zinc has been known to possess several direct and indirect antiviral properties, acting through different mechanisms. It has been reported that use of zinc supplement can enhance antiviral immunity, both innate and humoral, and also restore reduced immune cell function or to improve normal immune cell function. It is particularly useful in immunocompromised or elderly patients.

Earlier studies in Hepatitis C, HIV, and SARS-CoV-1 have demonstrated zinc acting in a synergistic manner when given along with the standard antiviral therapy. Zinc appears to have several mechanisms of action as an antiviral agent.

  • Physical processes suchas virus attachment, infection, and uncoating
  • Protect or stabilize the cell membrane which could contribute to blocking of the virus entry into the cell.
  • It may inhibit viral replication by changing the proteolytic processing of replicase polyproteins and RNA dependent RNA polymerase in rhinoviruses, HCV, and influenza virus.
  • Reduce the RNA-synthesizing activity of nidoviruses, to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs. 

Zinc deficiency is also related to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases caused by bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens and may be caused by some diseases, aging, and lifestyle-associated factors. Hence, appropriate administration of zinc supplement in sufficient therapeutic doses has a potential to restore depleted immune cell function or to improve normal immune cell function. 

It has been suggested that zinc supplementation can be beneficial in the prophylaxis and treatment of COVID 19. 

Reference: Kumar A, Kubota Y, Chernov M, Kasuya H. Potential role of zinc supplementation in prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19. Medical Hypotheses. 2020; 144: 109848. 

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