Zinc in liver disease

The essentiality of zinc for humans was first documented by Prasad in the 1960s. During the past 35 years, zinc deficiency in humans a result of nutritional factors and several disease states has been recognized. Many of the clinical features of liver cirrhosis have been linked to zinc deficiency, including loss of body hair, testicular atrophy, poor appetite, immune dysfunction, altered taste and smell, reduced vitamin A and thyroid hormone metabolism, altered protein metabolism, delayed wound healing, and diminished drug elimination capacity. One of the most interesting and novel aspects concerning the presumable role of zinc deficiency in producing clinical features of liver cirrhosis is the possible relationship between zinc and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Long-term zinc supplementation in patients with HE improves neurological symptoms and metabolic parameters. In Wilson's disease, an inherited defect of hepatic copper, zinc is used for maintenance as well as treating presymptomatic, pregnant, and pediatric patients. Zinc may be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C. This work is an attempt to review the information available in this field to understand the important role that zinc plays in the pathogenesis and therapy of several liver diseases. J. Trace Elem. Exp. Med. 15:67-78, 2002. (C) 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.