Zinc supplementation stimulates tetanus antibody formation and soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Immunodepression in end-stage renal disease has been associated with zinc deficiency. In a controlled study serum zinc levels, serum concentrations of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), and tetanus IgG antibody titers were measured in 65 hemodialysis patients before and after intravenous zinc supplementation for 2 months. The hemodialysis patients had significantly lower predialysis serum zinc concentrations compared to healthy controls (63 +/- 1.65 versus 126 +/- 4.6 micrograms/dl, P < 0.001). Serum zinc concentrations increased to the normal range in the zinc-treated patients. After zinc substitution tetanus antibody titers rose significantly (0.81 +/- 0.12 versus 1.22 +/- 0.12 U/ml, P < 0.01). Pretreatment sIL-2R levels were elevated in 95% of examined patients. A further increase in sIL-2R was observed after zinc supplementation (234 +/- 14 versus 285 +/- 21 U/ml, P < 0.05). The results suggest that zinc induces the activation of T lymphocytes and T-cell dependent B lymphocytes in chronic uremic patients in vivo.