Zinc is an essential micronutrient but it remains a mystery metal to scientists who are studying its role in Alzheimer's disease, stroke and other health problems.

Scientists however are beginning to understand how the body keeps zinc levels under the precise control that sets the difference between health and disease. They have now developed a biochemical metal detector to help unravel the mystery. The biosensor has yielded the first measurements of the tiny amounts of zinc ordinarily present inside living cells.

Just 2-3 grams of zinc (the weight of a penny coin) exist in the entire human body. The metal is a key building block in enzymes and other substances involved in functioning of the nervous system, the immune response, and the reproductive system.

"We believe this new technique can help us understand how zinc is involved in plaque formation in Alzheimer's disease, how prolonged seizures or stroke kill brain cells, and how the cell normally allocates zinc to different proteins," said Thompson.

The study was reported in the current issue of ACS Chemical Biology and conducted by Rebecca A. Bozym and Richard B. Thompson, Ph.D. of the department of biochemistry and molecular biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, and Andrea K. Stoddard and Carol A. Fierke, Ph.D. of the Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann arbor.

Source: [EurekAlert]