Zinc and neutrophil immune cell functions in lab and mice
What it found
In human cells and mice, zinc reduced the release of neutrophil extracellular traps and degranulation, while low zinc increased them.
Zinc did not change phagocytosis or oxidative burst.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Histone citrullination
Zinc blocked citrullination of histone H3, a step needed for NETs formation. Zinc did not affect ROS production or neutrophil elastase activity.
Low zinc in mice
Mice fed a low-zinc diet for 6 weeks had more NETs release and higher CD63 expression than control mice. They also weighed less. No differences were seen in ROS production or phagocytosis.
High zinc in mice
Mice fed a high-zinc diet did not differ from control mice in NETs release.
Studies in people and animals
NETs release
In human neutrophils in lab dishes, zinc strongly reduced NETs release after stimulation with PMA, calcium ionophore, and LPS from P. aeruginosa. Zinc also reduced NETs release in a human cell line and in mouse neutrophils stimulated with calcium ionophore.
Degranulation
In human neutrophils, zinc decreased CD63 expression, a marker of degranulation. Mouse neutrophils showed a similar trend but less pronounced.
Phagocytosis and killing
Zinc did not change phagocytosis in human or mouse neutrophils. However, preincubating cells with zinc reduced the number of live E. coli bacteria.
What the authors conclude
“Accurate zinc concentrations in the body are invaluable to maintain proper functioning of the innate immune response.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that both too much and too little zinc can alter how neutrophils work.
- They state that "Accurate zinc concentrations in the body are invaluable to maintain proper functioning of the innate immune response."
How it was done
The authors wanted to understand how zinc affects basic neutrophil functions, because previous results were fragmentary and sometimes contradictory.
They studied human neutrophils from blood donors and a human cell line, plus neutrophils from mice. Some cells were pretreated with zinc in lab dishes. Mice were fed low-zinc, high-zinc or normal diets for 6 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- This study used cells in lab dishes and mice. It cannot show what happens in people.
- The mouse diet study cannot prove cause and effect in humans.
- The authors note that their experiments only looked at one type of NETs release, so other types may be affected differently.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Narodowe Centrum Nauki (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
The paper
- Title
- Zinc Supplementation Modulates NETs Release and Neutrophils' Degranulation
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kuźmicka W, Manda-Handzlik A, Cieloch A, et al (2020). Zinc Supplementation Modulates NETs Release and Neutrophils' Degranulation. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu13010051Free full textPubMed 33375275DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error