Zinc deficiency and the prolonged accumulation of zinc in wounds.

Zinc is required for protein synthesis and therefore for wound healing. Zinc levels were 50 per cent higher in muscle and skin from abdominal wounds of rats during the maturation phase of wound healing, but mild deficiency greatly reduced this accumulation. The results suggest that zinc takes part in the late stages of wound healing when protein is laid down, and that such extra local demands expose otherwise marginal zinc deficiency.