The level of zinc in plasma is important because zinc , together with copper , are the two minerals that are considered the most important in human metabolism.
Summary
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- 1 Zinc
- 2 Vitamin A
- 3 Effects on man
- 4 Diagnosis
- 5 Statistical analysis
- 6 Sources
Zinc
Identified in its metabolic role , mainly as a cofactor of several metalloenzymes, seventy of which are found in various systems of living organisms. There is no fully satisfactory laboratory determination to identify zinc nutritional status in the individual.
Zinc levels in hair and plasma are frequently low as a result of inadequate zinc consumption; both parameters are of value already demonstrated in the study of the nutritional status of zinc in the individual
Vitamin a
It is mobilized from liver reserves and circulates in plasma mainly as retinol, bound to a specific protein complex : transporter protein (PTR) and prealbumin.
The hepatic synthesis of PTR depends on the amount of zinc available, hence this protein is an indicator of the hepatic availability of this element in man. Its value as a sensitive indicator of protein nutrition status has been proven. Different researchers have shown a linear relationship between the concentration of albumin and the concentration of zinc in the blood.
30 to 40 percent of circulating zinc is weakly bound to one to 2 macroglobulin and 60 to 70 percent is firmly bound to albumin , for that reason both proteins must be quantified, when measuring the amount of this mineral in plasma .
Effects on man
Zinc deficiency is associated with severe growth retardation and hypogonadism, but its true consequences became apparent in 1973 , when Moynaham recognized zinc deficiency as the cause of acrodermatitis enteropathica, a rare inherited disease, transmitted in an autosomal recessive manner.
The defects of this metal deficiency are more apparent in childhood and adolescence, due to the rapid growth and increase in the requirements of the same. In other studies, dietary supplementation with zinc has been associated with increased growth in children and an increase in plasma levels of this metal.
Diagnosis
Total proteins and albumin are quantified in plasma by different techniques
Statistic analysis
Zinc in plasma has been observed to increase above normal values when weight loss occurs and during prolonged fasting due to the mobilization of this mineral from tissues under catabolic conditions.
The average value of the retinol transporter protein of the children studied is within the normal range (3-6mg / dl); this suggests that adequate amounts of zinc exist. Experimentally, a decreased hepatic synthesis of retinol transporter protein has been seen under conditions of zinc deficiency.
