Zinc-induced enhancement of lymphocyte function and viability in chronic uremia

Spontaneous and phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis (LB) was measured by the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into lymphocytes from zinc-treated (group I) and non-zinc-treated (group II) patients on maintenance hemodialysis and from normal controls. The results were expressed as disintegrations per minute (dpm) per 200,000 cells. Spontaneous LB was comparable in the 3 groups. LB in response to PHA was impaired in group II (mean dpm 28,244 +/- 13,499 SEM) as compared to group I (163,407 +/- 14,325; p less than 0.001) or controls (193,711 +/- 9,406; p less than 0.001). In 5 group II patients the mean dpm rose from (45,630 +/- 26,334 SD to 211,795 +/- 78,231; p less than 0.025) after zinc therapy. The mean percentages of viable lymphocytes after 72 h of culture were 53.8, 85.8 and 85.5 in groups II, I, and controls, respectively. These results clearly indicate that zinc therapy improves lymphocyte function and viability in uremia and suggest that abnormal zinc metabolism may play a role in the impaired cellular immunity in this disorder.