ABSTRACT
Zinc is an essential trace element that must be obtained daily in the diet, since there are no significant bodily stores for this metal. The major biochemical role for zinc is as a cofactor for over 100 metalloenzymes, including many of the enzymes associated with RNA and DNA synthesis. Zinc deficiency has a rapid and adverse effect on immune function both in rodents and humankind. The substantial reduction in the number of leukocytes brought to fore the question of whether the residual cells of the immune system of the zinc-deficient mouse fully functional. Contact with a variety of foreign substances, particularly pathogens, initiates the oxygen burst in mononuclear phagocytic cells. The burst is a critical set of reactions which generate toxic oxygen metabolites responsible for the killing of most pathogens. The chemical phorbol myristate acetate and opsonized zymosan, an antibody-coated yeast cell extract, are frequently used by investigators to activate mononuclear phagocytes for the purpose of initiating the oxygen burst.
