Zinc has earned an association with wound healing, starting with initial reports of Pories from 1966, with the observation of improved healing of pilonidal sinuses with zinc administration.
Pilonidal sinuses occur mostly in y0ung, healthy males believed to consume an adequate diet, and therefore, not to have a deficient zinc intake.
The role of zinc in nucleic acid metabolism, in the synthesis of structural proteins such as collagen, in various enzymatic pathways, and in polyamine metabolism, it shows that zinc is very important to would healing and hepatic repair.
Studies by Hallbook and Lanner demonstrated that zinc supplementation improved would healing of venous leg ulcers in patients having decreased serum zinc concentration.
Chronic, severe zinc deficiency results in abnormal function of white blood cells and lymphocytes, increased susceptibility to infection, and delayed wound healing.
Zinc deficiency impairs wound healing by reducing the rate of epithelialization, reducing wound strength and diminishing collagen synthesis.
Zinc in wound healing
