Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, College of Medicine, Tallahassee, USA.
Biofactors. 2012 May-Jun;38(3):186-93. doi: 10.1002/biof.1012. Epub 2012 Mar 31.
The trace metal zinc is a biofactor that plays essential roles in the central nervous system across the lifespan from early neonatal brain development through the maintenance of brain function in adults. At the molecular level, zinc regulates gene expression through transcription factor activity and is responsible for the activity of dozens of key enzymes in neuronal metabolism. At the cellular level, zinc is a modulator of synaptic activity and neuronal plasticity in both development and adulthood. Given these key roles, it is not surprising that alterations in brain zinc status have been implicated in a wide array of neurological disorders including impaired brain development, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, and mood disorders including depression. Zinc has also been implicated in neuronal damage associated with traumatic brain injury, stroke, and seizure. Understanding the mechanisms that control brain zinc homeostasis is thus critical to the development of preventive and treatment strategies for these and other neurological disorders.
痕量金属锌是一种生物因子，在中枢神经系统中发挥着至关重要的作用，贯穿整个生命周期，从新生儿早期大脑发育到成人期大脑功能的维持。在分子水平上，锌通过转录因子活性调节基因表达，并且负责神经元代谢中数十种关键酶的活性。在细胞水平上，锌是发育和成年期突触活动和神经元可塑性的调节剂。鉴于锌的这些关键作用，脑锌状态的改变与广泛的神经紊乱有关就不足为奇了，包括脑发育障碍、阿尔茨海默病等神经退行性疾病以及抑郁等情绪障碍。锌也与创伤性脑损伤、中风和癫痫相关的神经元损伤有关。因此，了解控制脑锌动态平衡的机制对于开发这些和其他神经紊乱的预防和治疗策略至关重要。
