Oral zinc aspartate treats experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitisOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Whether oral zinc aspartate, at clinically approved low doses, controls disease in the animal model of multiple sclerosis, and how it affects effector T cells.
Who was studied?
SJL mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the standard animal model of MS, plus stimulated human T cells and mouse splenocytes in vitro.
What were the key findings?
Oral zinc aspartate at 6 or 12 micrograms per day (about 0.3 to 0.6 mg/kg) reduced clinical and histopathological signs during the relapsing-remitting phase, and dose-dependently suppressed IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, GM-CSF, and IL-5 production.
What are the implications?
A bioavailable, low-dose oral zinc salt can modulate autoimmune neuroinflammation, supporting zinc aspartate as a candidate immunomodulator, distinct from the neurotoxic effect of excess zinc.