Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Demonstrates zinc supplementation reduces neuroinflammation in mice infected by JEV, implying therapeutic potential for CNS infections.
Zinc is an essential micronutrient with well-characterized immunomodulatory properties and has been widely investigated in viral infectious diseases, yet its specific functional role in neurotropic viral encephalitis remains poorly elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that a zinc-supplemented (ZnS) dietary intervention confers protection against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection by suppressing macrophage-mediated inflammatory pathology in the central nervous system (CNS). Besides, zinc inhibited the phosphorylation of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and NF-κB p65 in macrophages, thereby effectively curbing excessive neuroinflammation and alleviating JEV-induced neuronal damage in the murine brain. Our findings have identified a previously unrecognized mechanism by which zinc regulates immune responses in the central nervous system, and suggest zinc supplementation as a potential intervention for neurological complications arising from central nervous system infections.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Sun et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: