Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 103 Milam Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97330, USA.
Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Nov;12(6):640-5. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32833106ee.
To summarize the recent findings related to the functions of zinc in prostate cancer prevention.
The prostate contains the highest concentration of zinc of all the soft tissues, but concentrations decrease significantly during prostate cancer. A growing body of experimental evidence supports the notion that high zinc levels are essential for prostate health and may limit prostate cancer development. The possible mechanisms include the effects of zinc on the inhibition of terminal oxidation, induction of mitochondrial apoptogenesis and suppression of NF-kappaB activity. Zinc may also play an important role in the maintenance of DNA integrity in normal prostate epithelial cells by modulating DNA repair and damage response proteins, especially p53. In addition, recent findings support the role of zinc transporters as tumor suppressors in the prostate.
Although epidemiological studies have shown mixed results, the experimental data strongly suggest a protective role of zinc in the prostate. More in-vivo studies on the effects of zinc on prostate functions are necessary to more clearly delineate the interaction between zinc and prostate function. In humans, sensitive and specific zinc biomarkers significantly impair the ability to design and interpret clinical studies and should be a priority area of research.
总结锌在前列腺癌预防中作用的最新发现。
前列腺组织中锌的浓度高于其他所有软组织，但在前列腺癌发生时锌浓度显著降低。越来越多的实验证据支持这样一种观点，即高锌水平对前列腺健康是必需的，可能限制前列腺癌的发展。其可能的机制包括锌对末端氧化的抑制作用、诱导线粒体凋亡和抑制 NF-κB 活性。锌还可能通过调节 DNA 修复和损伤反应蛋白（尤其是 p53）在维持正常前列腺上皮细胞的 DNA 完整性方面发挥重要作用。此外，最近的研究结果支持锌转运体作为前列腺中的肿瘤抑制因子的作用。
尽管流行病学研究结果不一，但实验数据强烈提示锌对前列腺具有保护作用。需要更多关于锌对前列腺功能影响的体内研究，以更清楚地阐明锌与前列腺功能之间的相互作用。在人类中，敏感和特异的锌生物标志物极大地削弱了设计和解释临床研究的能力，应该成为研究的优先领域。
